The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has dismissed the death threat alleged by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, insisting that he would be alive to contest and fail again in 2027.
Another salvo targeted against Obi came from the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who insisted that the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Obi, must apologise to the staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and pay a fine for wrong parking.
Umahi, who stated this while inspecting some legacy projects in Ebonyi State yesterday, further said Obi’s alleged death threat was a sign of frustration, emphasising that nobody wanted the presidential candidate dead.
Umahi added that the visible development and inclusion of the South-east zone by President Bola Tinubu was a major threat to Obi’s acclaimed popularity in the region.
He said, “Nobody wants Obi dead, it’s not just reasonable. We all want him alive to contest this election and watch himself lose again. What he is afraid of is because he said South-east is his catchment area because of the last election which I call accident of history.
“We have come with visible development in the zone and our people have now agreed with us that we are better off with President Tinubu to complete the good works he is doing for us than playing Artificial intelligence (AI) kind of politics.”
The minister also reiterated his readiness to debate with Obi on the many gains of the present administration and reason the South-east should be grateful for inclusion in the national politics.
Meanwhile, Keyamo was reacting to an earlier statement credited to Obi, where he complained about a recent incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where his vehicle was clamped on by a FAAN security official and suggested that he ought to have been exempted from such rule.
Keyamo in reaction disclosed he carried out an investigation on the incident and disclosed in his X handle that Obi was wrong and must apologize to the FAAN staff and also pay a fine for wrong parking.
“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.
“I therefore instituted an internal inquiry over the issue. Luckily enough, the entire Abuja airport is covered by CCTV cameras, real-time, 24/7. But apparently, this fact was unknown to Mr. Peter Obi. Otherwise, perhaps he would have been more circumspect before rushing to the media to cry ‘persecution’.
Keyamo said that from the recording of the incident by CCTV, the following was established.
“On Saturday, July 4th, 2026, Mr. Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at exactly 20:28p.m., driven by a policeman. He alighted with two other occupants and went into the terminal building.
“The police driver then parked the vehicle, almost blocking the entrance and came out himself and went into the terminal building too. The airport rule is that, apart from the fact that it is a drop-off zone, a driver must remain behind the wheels of the vehicle for it to be tolerated for some time within that zone. Still the vehicle tyres were not clamped.
“The policeman came back to the vehicle at about 20:32p.m. and collected something from the vehicle and went back into the building again, leaving the vehicle unattended to.
“At this point, the dutiful airport security staff came over and clamped the tyres of the car. In doing this, contrary to the claims by Peter Obi, nobody was inside the car and so nobody knew whether it was his car (not that it should matter, anyway),” Keyamo narrated.
He also said that when the Policeman returned again and discovered the tyres were clamped, he was directed to an office and upon getting there, he called Obi on his phone and gave the phone to the manager.
“Mr. Peter Obi then introduced himself and spoke with the manager, peddled his influence and requested for the release of the vehicle. His vehicle was then released without him paying the necessary fine.”
According to Keyamo, it is important to note that the time the vehicle was parked unattended in that prohibited zone was about 30 minutes, which constitutes a security risk at an airport by global best practices.
“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.
“This is a matter that was not even mentioned at all by the airport authorities and had been put to rest. But ever determined to milk any situation to score cheap political points, Mr. Peter Obi decided to go on air to render a false narrative,” he said.
The minister insisted that Obi must also face the consequences of his actions.
Keyamo also attached the CCTV footage to his post on X “for the public to clearly see what transpired.”
“In the circumstances, consistent with the principle of equality before the law, as Minister of Aviation, I make the following demands on Mr. Peter Obi: “That he tenders an unreserved, public apology to those hardworking, ordinary Nigerian workers at the airport, just doing their jobs dutifully and whom he sought to blackmail as his ‘persecutors’, he said.
Keyamo said Obi must go back to the airport to pay the “appropriate fine of N25, 000 for wrongful parking at the airport for which he used “‘influence peddling’ to bully his way out on that day. He cannot be bigger than the law.”
He said if these demands are not met within one week, “I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria to take the next steps against him.”
Chinedu Eze and Benjamin Nworie
