Aviation Minister Gives Peter Obi One Week to Apologise, Pay ₦25,000 Airport Parking Fine
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has asked the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to publicly apologise to airport officials and pay a ₦25,000 fine over the alleged wrongful parking of his vehicle at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Friday, the minister said he ordered an internal investigation following Obi’s claim that the tyres of his vehicle were unjustly clamped as part of what he described as a persecution campaign by the Federal Government.
According to the minister, a review of CCTV footage from the airport showed that Obi arrived at the domestic terminal on July 4, 2026, at about 8:28 p.m., after which the police officer driving his vehicle allegedly parked in a designated drop-off zone and left the vehicle unattended while entering the terminal.
He stated that the vehicle remained unattended for about 30 minutes, contrary to airport regulations requiring drivers to remain behind the wheel in the drop-off area, prompting airport security personnel to clamp the tyres.
The minister further alleged that the vehicle was clamped without officials knowing it belonged to Obi, insisting that the enforcement action was carried out in line with established airport procedures and not because of the former Anambra State governor’s identity.
According to the statement, when the police driver discovered the vehicle had been clamped, he contacted Obi by telephone, after which the former presidential candidate allegedly spoke with the airport manager and requested the release of the vehicle without paying the prescribed fine.
The minister described the alleged incident as an abuse of influence and rejected Obi’s claim that he was selectively targeted, insisting that the CCTV footage did not support the allegation that other motorists committed similar violations without consequences.
He said Obi’s public comments unfairly portrayed airport workers as agents of persecution, despite, according to him, the officials merely carrying out their lawful responsibilities.
The minister therefore demanded that Obi tender an unreserved public apology to the airport personnel involved and voluntarily return to pay the ₦25,000 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 to take appropriate action in accordance with the law.