Minister demands apology, N25,000 fine from Peter Obi over airport parking

Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo has demanded a public apology and a N25,000 fine from presidential candidate Peter Obi over an alleged parking violation at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja. Keyamo stated that an internal inquiry, supported by CCTV footage, confirmed Obi's vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted area on July 4, 2026.

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If you park wrongly, you pay the fine. Now, if you remember the case between a lawyer in Delta State and the Federal Road Safety Commission, the lawyer went to court and said: ‘my Lord, the Federal Road Safety Commission is not a court of law, it should not be given the power to pronounce people guilty for payment of fines’.

According to Keyamo, airport security clamped the vehicle's tires. He claimed the vehicle was eventually released after Obi spoke with an airport manager, but alleged the appropriate fine was not paid. The minister subsequently called for Obi to apologize to airport workers and pay the fine.

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The lawyer said: ‘if the road safety has found anybody to have committed an offence, the road safety should take that person before the magistrate’s court or any other court of competent jurisdiction, but that the road safety does not have the right to impose fine because the road safety is not a court of law.’

However, Ekemini Udim, a senior partner at Justice Chambers, argued that Keyamo, as a minister, does not possess the legal power to pronounce guilt or impose fines, as he is not a court of law. Udim also pointed out that Keyamo failed to establish whether Obi personally committed the infraction or if his driver was responsible.

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The trial court held in favour of the lawyer and against road safety, saying road safety is not a court of law and cannot impose fines.

Citing the legal principle of criminal liability, Udim asserted that only the individual who commits an offense should be held accountable. He referenced a past court case where a similar demand for fines by the Federal Road Safety Commission was ruled unlawful because the commission is not a court of law.

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That matter went to the court of appeal. The court of appeal held the same thing. If that is applied