Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has accused Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027, of lying over the airport incident.
Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, Keyamo said Obi “lied like a fish drinking water” and claimed he did it on purpose.
“And I saw that man was lying. He lies like a fish drinking water. He lies. He lies for fun,” he said.
The minister said Obi had alleged he was harassed at the airport because he is in the opposition. He also pointed out that the NDC candidate had appeared on the same television station before his own interview, yet was not asked about the incident.
“He was the one that complained that he was being harassed at the airport and that because of his opposition status, he was harassed. But Peter Obi was with you. You conducted a two-hour interview,” Mr Keyamo said.
Keyamo also questioned whether it was right for an opposition candidate to publicly make such an allegation without giving the aviation minister a chance to check the facts first.
“Is it fair for an opposition candidate to make a claim that he was being harassed and not allow the minister of aviation to verify the claim? Is it fair?” he asked.
His remarks came after he gave Obi a one-week deadline to apologise to workers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for describing them as persecutors.
The ultimatum followed Keyamo’s claim that Obi had contradicted himself over allegations that the tyres of his vehicle were unfairly clamped at the airport.
