Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Peter Obi Media Office has firmly challenged the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, over the recent airport controversy involving the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, raising serious concerns about the authenticity of the CCTV footage released by the minister and questioning the selective enforcement of airport regulations.
In a statement issued on Sunday, 11 July 2026, the spokesperson for the Peter Obi Media Office, Idris Zekeri, faulted Keyamo's account of the incident, which occurred on 4 July 2026, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Keyamo had earlier demanded a public apology from Obi and a N25,000 fine for an alleged parking violation, claiming that CCTV footage showed Obi's vehicle left unattended for about 30 minutes in a prohibited drop-off zone.
However, Zekeri dismissed the minister's narrative, pointing out that the timestamps on the footage directly contradicted Keyamo's claim. According to the Obi Media Office, the footage showed Obi's vehicle arriving at 8:28 p.m. and being clamped at approximately 8:34 p.m. — a six-minute interval, not 30 minutes. "Where, then, did the claim of 30 minutes originate? Do you not agree that half-truths can sometimes be more misleading than outright falsehoods?" Zekeri asked.
The media office also took issue with Keyamo's assertion that Obi's driver was a police officer. Zekeri clarified that Obi does not have any police or civil defence personnel attached to him in Abuja, despite being entitled to VVIP protection by virtue of his status as a leading opposition figure. "Your reference to a 'police driver' appears to have been based on the assumption that he enjoys the level of security protection ordinarily accorded to someone of his standing. He does not," Zekeri stated.
Furthermore, the Obi Media Office argued that the CCTV footage released by Keyamo was not even from the incident Obi had referred to in his interview. Zekeri maintained that the incident Obi described occurred on a different date and at a different airport. "If we now have at least two separate incidents in which vehicles associated with Mr. Obi were clamped under questionable circumstances, does this not suggest a pattern of targeting an individual simply because of who he is?" he asked.
The Obidient Movement, Obi's support base, also accused Keyamo of manipulating the CCTV footage in an attempt to discredit the NDC presidential candidate. The group alleged that the minister deliberately zoomed in on the seconds display of the CCTV footage to create the impression that viewers were looking at the minute counter, describing the exercise as misleading. The movement further challenged the allegation that Obi's vehicle blocked the airport terminal entrance, pointing out that the footage released by the minister showed another vehicle stopping behind Obi's vehicle without difficulty.
The Obidient Movement also accused aviation authorities of selective enforcement, arguing that enforcement officers acted with unusual speed against Obi's vehicle while allegedly ignoring other vehicles parked in the same area. The group further criticised Keyamo for focusing excessively on Obi instead of addressing the challenges confronting Nigeria's aviation sector, including rising airfares, flight delays, cancellations, poor communication by airlines, and infrastructure deficits.
Keyamo had earlier insisted that airport rules apply equally to all users regardless of status or political affiliation, and that the vehicle was released without payment of the fine after Obi spoke with the airport manager. He gave Obi a seven-day ultimatum to apologise and pay the N25,000 fine, warning that failure to comply would result in further action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
As of the time of this report, Obi had not publicly responded to Keyamo's latest demands. However, his media office has made it clear that it will not accept what it describes as a "misleading" narrative, insisting that the harassment of Peter Obi must stop. "His real offence is not violating airport rules. His real offence is offering Nigerians a credible alternative to a government that has failed them at every level," the Obidient Movement declared.
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