The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo has asked Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to publicly apologise to airport staff and pay a N25,000 fine over a wrongful parking incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement, the minister said he ordered an internal investigation after Obi alleged that the tyres of his vehicle were unjustly clamped at the airport as part of what he described as a persecution campaign by the Federal Government.
According to the minister, the inquiry reviewed CCTV footage from the airport, which he said operates round-the-clock surveillance, to establish what transpired.
The minister alleged that on July 4, 2026, Obi arrived at the airport’s domestic terminal and was dropped off by a police officer who was driving the vehicle.
He claimed the officer parked the vehicle in a designated drop-off zone, allegedly obstructing the entrance, before leaving it unattended while entering the terminal.
According to the statement, airport security officials later clamped the vehicle after it was left unattended for about 30 minutes.
The minister further alleged that when the police officer discovered the vehicle had been clamped, he contacted Obi by phone, after which Obi allegedly spoke with the airport manager and requested that the vehicle be released without paying the penalty.
He also dismissed Obi’s claim that other vehicles committed similar parking violations on the same day.
He therefore called on Obi to issue an unreserved public apology to airport personnel whom he said were unfairly portrayed for carrying out their lawful duties.
The minister also demanded that Obi return to the airport to pay the N25,000 fine for the alleged parking violation.
He warned that if the demands are not met within one week, he would direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take further action in line with the law.