Aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, has given the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, a one-week ultimatum to apologise to workers  of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for wrongly portraying them as persecutors and to voluntarily pay a N25,000 fine for wrongful parking at the airport.

Mr Keyamo gave the directive in a statement on Friday, citing an internal investigation and CCTV footage, which he said contradicted Mr Obi’s claim that his vehicle’s tyres were unjustly clamped at the airport.

The minister stated, “As the Minister of Aviation, I felt a moral duty to investigate and authenticate the claim made by opposition candidate, Mr Peter Obi, a few days ago that the tyres of his car were ‘unjustly’ clamped at the airport, suggesting a ‘persecution agenda’ against him by the Federal Government. Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law.”

Mr Keyamo said the incident, which occurred on July 4 at about 8:28 p.m, was fully captured by the Abuja airport’s 24-hour CCTV system, noting that the video evidence contradicted Mr Obi’s claim of persecution.

According to the minister, Mr Obi arrived at the airport’s domestic terminal on the day of the incident in a vehicle driven by a police officer and entered the terminal with two other occupants.

He said the police officer parked the vehicle in a way that almost blocked the entrance, contrary to the airport’s drop-off policy, which only permits a driver to be behind the wheels for few minutes at such a place.

He alleged that the driver also alighted from the vehicle and went into the terminal building.

Mr Keyamo said the vehicle’s tyres were eventually clamped after the police officer briefly returned to retrieve an item, leaving the car at the spot again.

He noted that no one was inside the vehicle at the time when the tyres were clamped.

The minister alleged that after the police officer who drove the vehicle discovered what had happened, he called Mr Obi, who then spoke with the airport manager and used his influence to secure the vehicle’s release without paying the required fine.

The aviation minister said the vehicle was parked in the prohibited drop-off zone for about thirty minutes, describing the duration as a security risk in line with global airport best practices.

Mr Keyamo said, “What has emerged from this is a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver. 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.”

The aviation minister assured that the former Anambra State governor would face the consequences of his action.

Mr Keyamo said Mr Obi revived an issue already been laid to rest and promoted a false narrative to score political points.

The minister directed Mr Obi to publicly apologise to the airport workers for portraying them as his persecutors and to pay a N25,000 fine for wrongful parking, noting that the directive was filed consistent with the principle of equality before the law.

“If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take the next steps against him,” Mr Keyamo stated.