The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to charge the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi N25,000 for wrongful parking at the Abuja airport.
In a statement on Friday evening, Keyamo said the vehicle that brought Obi into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, flouted the rule, as it was parked unattended in a prohibited zone for about 30 minutes.
This was as he demanded a public apology from Obi over claims that his vehicle was “unjustly” clamped at the airport, describing the allegation as false.
Keyamo, in a statement posted via X.com on Friday, said he ordered an internal inquiry into the incident after Obi alleged that the clamping of his car’s tyres at the airport was part of a “persecution agenda” against him by the Federal Government.
“Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law. I therefore instituted an internal inquiry over the issue,” he said.
The minister said the airport was under full CCTV surveillance, a fact he said Obi appeared unaware of.
“Luckily enough, the entire Abuja airport is covered by CCTV cameras, real-time, 24/7. But apparently, this fact was unknown to Mr Peter Obi. Otherwise, perhaps he would have been more circumspect before rushing to the media to cry persecution,” he said.
According to Keyamo, the recordings showed that Obi’s vehicle, driven by a police orderly, was parked at the domestic wing at about 8.28pm on Saturday, July 4, and left unattended for about 30 minutes before airport security staff clamped the tyres.
“At this point, the dutiful airport security staff came over and clamped the tyres of the car. In doing this, contrary to the claims by Peter Obi, nobody was inside the car and so nobody knew whether it was his car,” he said.
Keyamo said the vehicle was released without payment of the required fine after Obi called the airport manager directly.
“Mr Peter Obi then introduced himself and spoke with the manager, peddled his influence and requested for the release of the vehicle. His vehicle was then released without him paying the necessary fine,” he said.
He dismissed Obi’s claim that other vehicles were left unclamped that day.
“The excuse which Mr Peter Obi gave that there were other offenders too on that day, which is completely false, cannot be an excuse for an individual aspiring to be President of Nigeria. He must live above board,” he said.
Keyamo gave Obi a one-week ultimatum to comply with his demands.
“That he tenders an unreserved, public apology to those hardworking, ordinary Nigerian workers at the airport, just doing their jobs dutifully and whom he sought to blackmail as his persecutors.
“That Mr Peter Obi voluntarily goes back to the airport and pay the appropriate fine of N25,000 for wrongful parking… If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria to take the next steps against him,” he said.