The story of the ruling party, whether it is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its domineering peak before it lost power in 2015 or the All Progressives Congress (APC), which now rules the country, using instruments of the state, levers of power and federal might to harass and intimidate opposition has become a recurring theme of our national discourse. Recently former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, disclosed that he is being persecuted, harassed and victimised by the ruling party.
Obi disclosed this during an interview on With Chude, a podcast hosted by media personality Chude Jideonwo. The presidential candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 general elections stated that he is being unfairly treated by the Bola Tinubu-led government. He added that his businesses and associates are being targeted. He went on to reveal other unpleasant, appalling and demeaning treatment that he has had to endure since 2023.
However, one incident which he recounted during the interview and cited as an example of one of the many abhorrent treatments that have been meted out to him in recent years has triggered a furore online. Obi recalled how his vehicle was clamped and locked at one of Nigeria’s major airports, and even after identifying himself as the owner of the ‘wrongfully” clamped vehicle the airport worker who clamped it was scornful and dismissive of him.
He said, “They are attacking everybody who is in opposition personally. I am being attacked personally. Everything. Even to provide me with the necessary things that I should have been entitled to, not at all. I had a case recently at the airport, where people who work in the airport came and locked my car. And I said, ‘It’s me.’ The person in charge said he doesn’t care.
“But I said, ‘Look at the cars of other people.’ And you could see them talking to each other, as if, ‘Who is this one?’”
On Friday, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, in a statement said the claims of Obi about the airport incident did not reflect what transpired and that he was not targeted. He noted that Obi violated the parking rules at the airport and was appropriately penalised.
Keyamo also attached the CCTV footage of what happened at the airport to the statement. He stated that he ordered an internal investigation after Obi claimed that officials at the airport targeted him by clamping the tyres of his vehicle as part of a “persecution agenda” by the Federal Government.
According to the minister, CCTV footage from the airport showed that Obi arrived at the domestic terminal at about 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in a vehicle driven by a police officer.
He noted that after dropping off Obi and two other occupants, the police driver parked the vehicle in the designated drop-off zone, alighted and entered the terminal building. Keyamo explained that although vehicles are permitted to stop briefly in the area, drivers are required to remain behind the steering wheel while waiting.
“The airport rule is that, apart from the fact that it is a drop-off zone, a driver must remain behind the wheel of the vehicle for it to be tolerated for some time within that zone,” he said.
According to him, the police officer briefly returned to the vehicle to collect an item before leaving it unattended again, prompting airport security personnel to clamp the tyres.
The Minister also said there is no truth in Obi’s claim that officials singled him out for punishment, insisting that the vehicle was empty when it was clamped and airport personnel did not know that it belonged to the former Anambra State governor.
He added, “When the policeman returned and discovered the tyres were clamped, he was directed to an office where he called Mr Peter Obi and handed the phone to the manager. Mr Peter Obi then introduced himself, spoke with the manager, and requested the release of the vehicle. His vehicle was subsequently released without payment of the prescribed fine”
He stated that the vehicle remained parked in the restricted drop-off zone for about 30 minutes, describing the situation as a violation of airport global practices security protocol.
The minister accused Obi of attempting to leverage the incident for political gain by portraying himself as a victim of government persecution.
“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,” Keyamo said.
He also said Obi’s reported claim that other vehicles were parked in the restricted drop-off zone on the day of the incident, hence violating parking rules, was false. As a result, Keyamo demanded that Obi issue an unreserved public apology to airport personnel, whom he said were merely carrying out their lawful duties.
Weighing Keyamo’s statement against Obi’s claim
A careful and objective review of the statement and footage posted by Keyamo reveals the inconsistency and contradictions in his claims. The evidence presented by Keyamo as Obi’s infraction and wrongdoing largely validates Obi’s claims of persecution and indicts the government.
Obi’s vehicle arrived at 20:28 and the driver parked at 20:N300.00 and stepped out. He returned to retrieve an item from the vehicle at 20:32 and came back two minutes later, at 20:34, to find the vehicle clamped. The total duration of this activity was approximately six minutes, which is within the TEN MINUTES allowance for passenger activities at Heathrow Airport.
The Minister also noticeably left out some crucial information in his statement that would have made it easy to piece together the chain of events, and if indeed Obi ran afoul of the rule. He claimed the car was left unattended for 30 minutes before it was clamped but there was nothing in the footage he posted to show that was the case. The clamping of the car was done barely four minutes after it was parked which cannot be said to be sufficient enough to activate the parking space violation rule.
Keyamo also failed to mention the precise time Obi’s vehicle was clamped and the maximum time passengers are allowed to disembark from their vehicle before a violation occurs. It is important as the minister to be objective and forthright about what truly transpires as the evidence he provided corroborates Obi’s claim of victimisation rather than substantiates his own allegations of airport parking rule violation.
To get to the bottom of the matter and deepen public trust and confidence in our institutions, an independent investigation composed of reputable institutions and individuals should be set up. The institutions will each be nominated by the minister, Peter Obi, and the CSO, to verify the real CCTV footage to ascertain the exact sequence of events for what actually transpired.
