Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed Mr. Nnaemeka Ikerionwu, who volunteered to settle the N25,000 fine imposed on the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to work with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the payment procedure.
Keyamo gave the directive after Ikerionwu publicly offered to pay the penalty on Obi’s behalf.
The development follows a statement issued by the minister on Friday through his X account, where he called on the former Anambra State governor to publicly apologise to airport officials and pay a N25,000 fine for an alleged parking violation.
According to Keyamo, the decision came after an internal investigation was conducted to verify Obi’s claim that the tyres of his vehicle were “unjustly” clamped by airport authorities.
According to the minister, the investigation, backed by CCTV footage, showed that Obi’s vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted area, prompting airport security personnel to clamp its tyres.
Keyamo said Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 4, 2026, and left the vehicle after being dropped off by a police driver.
Meanwhile, in a post on his X handle, the Minister responded to Ikerionwu’s offer to settle the fine on Obi’s behalf by asking him to meet with FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development for guidance on the payment process.
He wrote: “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.
“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’s latest response suggests that government is willing to accept payment of the fine through a third party.
However, Keyamo did not indicate whether his earlier demand that Obi tender a public apology to airport officials had been waived.
