The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has directed Mr. Nnaemeka Ikerionwu, who volunteered to pay the ₦25,000 fine imposed on Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to liaise with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on the payment process.
Keyamo gave the directive in a post on his X handle after Ikerionwu reportedly offered to settle the fine on Obi’s behalf.
The development followed an earlier statement by the minister demanding that Obi tender a public apology to airport officials and pay a ₦25,000 fine over an alleged parking violation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Keyamo had said an internal inquiry was carried out after Obi claimed that the tyres of his vehicle were “unjustly” clamped at the airport.
According to the minister, the inquiry, supported by CCTV footage, showed that Obi’s vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted area, which led airport security personnel to clamp its tyres.
Keyamo said Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Abuja airport on July 4, 2026, and left the vehicle after being dropped off by a police driver.
Responding to Ikerionwu’s offer to pay the fine, Keyamo asked him to meet with FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development for guidance on the mode of payment.
“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.
The minister also criticised Obi over the incident, saying the outcome of the inquiry had disproved the former governor’s claim that he was being targeted.
“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’,” he added.
Keyamo’s response indicates that the government may accept payment of the fine through a third party.
However, the minister did not state whether his earlier demand that Obi tender a public apology to airport officials had been withdrawn or waived.
The incident has continued to draw public attention following Obi’s complaint about the clamping of his vehicle and the aviation minister’s insistence that the former Anambra State governor violated airport parking rules.
