Keyamo Slams Obi Over Airport Row

​The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has launched a scathing attack on Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), alleging that the politician fabricates stories to score cheap political points.

​Appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Keyamo dismissed Obi’s recent narration of an encounter with aviation personnel, maintaining that the opposition figure deliberately twisted the facts surrounding a parking violation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

​”That man was lying. He lies like a fish drinking water. He lies. He lies for fun,” Keyamo stated during the live interview.

​The fresh controversy stems from an earlier incident where Obi publicly alleged that he was subjected to targeted harassment and political persecution by state officials after security operatives clamped his vehicle’s tyres at the airport.

​However, the aviation ministry countered the claims by releasing findings from an internal inquiry backed by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. According to the ministry, Obi’s police driver had abandoned the vehicle in a restricted drop-off zone for roughly 30 minutes in violation of security protocols.

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​Keyamo argued that it was completely unjustifiable for high-profile political actors to make sweeping allegations against ordinary civil servants carrying out statutory duties without allowing room for official verification. He further criticized the media for allowing public figures to air unverified grievances without immediate cross-examination.

​The ministry previously demanded a public apology and the settlement of statutory fines from the opposition leader, insisting that no citizen, regardless of status, is above national aviation regulations.