Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has asked former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to publicly apologise to airport workers and pay a ₦25,000 fine over a parking dispute at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The demand follows comments Obi made during a recent podcast, in which he alleged that airport officials clamped his vehicle and treated him unfairly because of his political position.
Obi suggested the incident reflected a pattern of political persecution by the Federal Government.
Responding in a detailed statement of the airport's point of view regarding the incident via an X post, Keyamo said he ordered an internal investigation into the incident because "every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law."
He said CCTV footage from the airport showed that Obi's vehicle was wrongly parked in a restricted drop-off area on 4th July and left unattended for about 30 minutes by a police driver.
"The airport rule is that, apart from the fact that it is a drop-off zone, a driver must remain behind the wheels of the vehicle for it to be tolerated for some time within that zone," Keyamo said.
According to the minister, airport security officers clamped the vehicle only after it had been left unattended.
He rejected Obi's claim that he was singled out because of his politics.
"In doing this, contrary to the claims by Peter Obi, nobody was inside the car and so nobody knew whether it was his car, not that it should matter, anyway," Keyamo said.
The minister also alleged that Obi later called the airport manager after the police driver discovered the clamp.
"Mr. Peter Obi then introduced himself and spoke with the manager, peddled his influence and requested for the release of the vehicle.
His vehicle was then released without him paying the necessary fine," Keyamo said.
He described the incident as "a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver."
Keyamo said Obi should "tender an unreserved, public apology" to airport staff "whom he sought to blackmail as his 'persecutors'" and "voluntarily go back to the airport and pay the appropriate fine of ₦25,000 for wrongful parking."
He warned that if Obi does not comply within one week, he will direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to "take the next steps against him."
In the podcast that sparked the controversy, Obi said his vehicle was clamped while he was inside the terminal and argued that he was treated differently because of his political profile.
He said the incident reflected what he described as increasing intimidation of opposition figures, a claim the Federal Government has denied.
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