The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has demanded a public apology from Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over what he described as “false allegations” against airport officials following the clamping of his vehicle at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Keyamo, in a statement issued on Friday, said an internal investigation ordered by his office, backed by CCTV footage from the airport, showed that Obi’s vehicle was lawfully clamped after it was left unattended for about 30 minutes in a prohibited drop-off zone, contrary to airport regulations.
The minister said the inquiry became necessary after Obi publicly alleged that his vehicle was “unjustly” clamped as part of what he described as a persecution campaign against him by the Federal Government.
According to Keyamo, the CCTV recordings established that Obi arrived at the airport on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at about 8:28 p.m. in a vehicle driven by a police officer before proceeding into the terminal with two other occupants.
He explained that after dropping Obi off, the police driver parked the vehicle in the airport’s designated drop-off area, almost obstructing the entrance, and left it unattended while entering the terminal. Although the officer briefly returned to retrieve an item from the vehicle, he again abandoned it, prompting airport security officials to clamp its tyres in line with established security procedures.
According to the minister, when the police driver later discovered the vehicle had been clamped, he contacted Obi by telephone from the airport management office. Keyamo alleged that Obi identified himself to airport officials and requested that the vehicle be released, after which it was freed without payment of the prescribed N25,000 parking violation fine.
Describing the incident as a security concern, Keyamo said leaving a vehicle unattended in a restricted airport zone for about 30 minutes violated international airport safety standards. He also rejected Obi’s claim that other vehicles committed similar offences on the same day, insisting that investigations found no evidence to support the allegation.
The minister accused the former Anambra State governor of attempting to gain political sympathy by portraying a routine enforcement action as political persecution. He maintained that airport officials merely carried out their lawful duties without regard to the identity of the vehicle’s owner.
Consequently, Keyamo called on Obi to publicly apologise to the airport workers whom he said were unfairly accused of victimising him and to voluntarily return to the airport to pay the outstanding N25,000 fine for the parking violation. He warned that if Obi failed to comply within one week, he would direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take appropriate action.
The controversy followed claims by Peter Obi that his vehicle was unfairly clamped at the Abuja airport, an incident he suggested reflected targeted harassment by government authorities. The latest statement by the Aviation Minister represents the Federal Government’s official response, with the minister relying on CCTV footage from the airport to dispute Obi’s account and insisting that the enforcement action was based solely on airport regulations rather than political considerations.
