The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has approved a request by a private citizen to pay the N25,000 fine imposed on Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over an alleged parking violation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Keyamo directed Nnaemeka Ikerionwu, who offered to settle the fine on Obi’s behalf, to liaise with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria for the payment process.
The minister conveyed the directive in a post on his X account on Friday, instructing Ikerionwu to meet with FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development for guidance on how the payment should be made.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Please, Mr Nnaemeka Ikerionwu should 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,” Keyamo wrote.
He also renewed his criticism of Obi, accusing the former Anambra State governor of making what he described as false claims to attract public sympathy.
“Now that we have burst his bubble, next time, Peter Obi should think twice before making outlandish claims of being targeted at our airports or anywhere for that matter in order to get ‘sympathy votes’,” the minister added.
The development comes a week after Keyamo announced that Obi was required to pay a N25,000 fine and publicly apologise to airport officials following an internal investigation into the incident.
The minister had said the inquiry, which included a review of CCTV footage, showed that Obi’s vehicle was left unattended in a restricted area after he was dropped off by a police driver at the domestic terminal of the Abuja airport on July 4, 2026.
According to Keyamo, airport security personnel clamped the vehicle’s tyres in line with established regulations.
While the minister has now approved third-party payment of the fine, he did not state whether the earlier demand for a public apology from Obi had been withdrawn
