Keyamo demands apology, N25,000 fine from Peter Obi over airport parking incident

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has asked Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi to publicly apologise to airport staff and pay a N25,000 fine over the clamping of his vehicle at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

In a statement issued on Friday, Keyamo said he ordered an internal investigation following Obi’s allegation that his vehicle was unfairly clamped at the airport as part of a campaign of persecution by the Federal Government.

According to the minister, findings from CCTV footage showed that Obi arrived at the airport’s domestic terminal on July 4, 2026, at about 8:28 p.m. in a vehicle driven by a police officer. He said Obi and two other occupants entered the terminal while the driver parked the vehicle in a designated drop-off zone and left it unattended, prompting airport security personnel to clamp the vehicle’s tyres after it remained there for about 30 minutes.

Keyamo alleged that the officials who clamped the vehicle did not know it belonged to Obi and that the police driver later contacted the former Anambra State governor by phone after discovering the clamp. He claimed Obi spoke with the airport manager and requested the release of the vehicle, which was subsequently released without payment of the prescribed fine.

“What has emerged from this is a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver. Therefore, he must also face the consequences of his actions.

“In the circumstances, I demand that Mr. Peter Obi tenders an unreserved public apology to the hardworking airport staff and voluntarily returns to pay the appropriate fine of N25,000 for wrongful parking. If these demands are not met within one week, I will direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to take the next steps against him,” the minister said.

Keyamo described Obi’s allegation of persecution as false, accusing him of attempting to generate public sympathy over an incident caused by his driver’s actions. He also dismissed Obi’s claim that other motorists committed similar parking violations on the same day, insisting that no individual is above the law.

The minister maintained that the airport workers acted professionally in enforcing parking regulations and said the incident had already been resolved before Obi publicly raised the matter. He warned that failure to apologise and pay the fine within one week would prompt further action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.