The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has asked Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi to apologise to airport officials and pay a ₦25,000 parking violation fine or face sanctions from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The directive follows Obi’s recent allegation that the Federal Government used airport officials to harass him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Friday, Keyamo said an investigation based on the airport’s 24-hour CCTV footage contradicted Obi’s claims. According to the minister, the footage showed that Obi arrived at the airport on July 4 at about 8:28 p.m. in a vehicle driven by a police officer.
Keyamo explained that after Obi and two others entered the terminal, the police driver left the vehicle unattended in the designated drop-off zone, allegedly obstructing the entrance and violating airport parking regulations. He noted that airport rules require drivers to remain with their vehicles in the drop-off area because unattended vehicles pose security risks.
The minister said the driver briefly returned to the vehicle to retrieve an item before leaving it again, prompting airport security personnel to clamp the vehicle’s tyres. He added that officials were unaware the vehicle belonged to Obi at the time.
According to Keyamo, Obi later identified himself to the airport manager and requested the release of the vehicle, which was granted without payment of the prescribed fine.
The minister accused Obi of reviving the incident to push what he described as a false narrative for political gain. He insisted that Obi should apologise to the affected airport staff and pay the ₦25,000 fine within one week, warning that failure to do so would result in further action by FAAN.
