The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accepted an offer by a Nigerian, Mr. Nnaemeka Ikerionwu, to settle the ₦25,000 fine imposed on the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over an alleged parking regulation violation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The development comes days after Keyamo demanded that Obi publicly apologise to airport authorities and pay the fine within seven days following claims the former Anambra State governor made during a podcast interview.
Obi had alleged that his vehicle was clamped at the Abuja airport while other vehicles parked in the same location were left untouched, describing the incident as part of what he called a pattern of harassment against him and his associates. He also claimed that the alleged intimidation raised concerns about his safety ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In response, Keyamo dismissed the allegations and released CCTV footage, which he said showed that Obi’s vehicle violated established parking regulations, insisting that the action taken by airport officials was in line with standard procedures.
The incident sparked widespread public debate, with many of Obi’s supporters accusing the Federal Government of politically targeting the opposition figure ahead of the January elections.
Amid the controversy, a letter shared on X by public affairs commentator @Onsogbu showed that Ikerionwu had apologised to the minister over the matter and volunteered to pay the ₦25,000 fine on Obi’s behalf.
Reacting to the offer, Keyamo directed the volunteer to complete the payment process through the appropriate government channel.
“Proceed to see the Director of Commercial and Business Development for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and he will be directed on the mode of payment of the fine for the offender,” the minister said.
Keyamo also maintained that the release of the CCTV footage had disproved Obi’s allegations, urging the NDC presidential candidate to be more cautious with future public statements.
“Now that we have burst his bubble, next time, @PeterObi should think twice before making outlandish claims of being targeted at our airports or anywhere for that matter in order to get ‘sympathy votes’,” Keyamo stated.
He added:
“Nigerians have become too politically savvy to fall for such cheap political gimmicks from presidential candidates that emerged from miracle centres.”
