By Ayomide Otitoju
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to impose a ₦25,000 fine on Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi over an alleged wrongful parking incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Keyamo also demanded that Obi issue a public apology to airport personnel for alleging that officials unjustly clamped his vehicle and suggesting that the Federal Government was targeting him for political reasons.
In a statement issued on Friday, the minister said he ordered an internal investigation after Obi claimed during an interview with Chude Jideonwo that his vehicle was clamped despite other cars being parked in the same area.
According to Keyamo, CCTV footage from the airport showed that the vehicle which dropped Obi at the domestic terminal remained unattended in a restricted drop-off zone for about 30 minutes after all occupants, including the police driver, left it.
He said airport regulations require drivers to remain inside their vehicles while in the drop-off area, adding that the unattended vehicle constituted a security risk in line with international aviation safety standards.
Keyamo stated that airport security officials clamped the vehicle’s tyres only after confirming that no one was inside the car and that the action was taken without knowledge of the vehicle’s owner.
He further alleged that the vehicle was later released without payment of the prescribed fine after Obi contacted the airport manager by phone and requested its release.
“The CCTV footage shows that Mr. Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 8:28 p.m. on July 4, 2026. After he and two other occupants entered the terminal, the police driver also left the vehicle unattended in the prohibited zone. The tyres were subsequently clamped in accordance with airport regulations,” Keyamo said.
The minister dismissed Obi’s claim that other vehicles were similarly parked, describing it as false and saying it did not justify the alleged violation.
He accused the former Anambra State governor of attempting to generate political sympathy over an incident that resulted from a breach of airport regulations.
Keyamo said the matter had already been resolved by airport authorities before Obi publicly raised it, adding that the allegations unfairly portrayed airport workers who were carrying out their lawful duties.
The minister therefore called on Obi to publicly apologise to the affected airport staff and voluntarily return to the airport to pay the ₦25,000 penalty for wrongful parking.
He warned that if Obi failed to comply within one week, he would direct FAAN to take further action in line with applicable regulations.
