The Obidient Movement has asked the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to stop what it called the “harassment” of former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi and focus on fixing Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The group said this on Saturday, 11 July, while replying to Keyamo’s comments and video over Obi’s recent airport parking incident. The movement argued that the minister should spend more time tackling flight delays, poor passenger experience, and other challenges facing the aviation industry instead of pursuing a political fight with the opposition.
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The reply followed days of exchanges over a CCTV video released by Keyamo after Obi defended his actions at an airport. The dispute has turned into a contest over the interpretation of the footage, with both sides presenting different accounts of what happened. The Obidient Movement used its latest response to shift attention from the video to what it called the pressing problems facing the aviation sector.
The group argued that Nigerians are more interested in better air transport than political exchanges involving the minister and Obi.
It said airlines are struggling, airfares have become too expensive for many travellers, passengers face repeated flight delays and cancellations, and communication with travellers needs improvement.
The movement argued that these issues deserve the minister’s full attention.
It criticised Keyamo for personally engaging in the dispute over Obi’s airport visit, alleging that the minister had devoted time to reviewing CCTV footage instead of concentrating on the responsibilities of his office.
“The Minister of Aviation has somehow found the time to personally investigate Peter Obi, edit CCTV footage, issue political ultimatums and threaten the country’s leading opposition figure,” the group said.
It went further to accuse the minister of turning public office into a platform for political confrontation, declaring that he should “devote the same energy to fixing Nigeria’s aviation sector that he devotes to chasing Peter Obi.”
The movement also rejected Keyamo’s account of the airport incident and insisted that the video released by the minister did not support the allegations against Obi.
It challenged the minister’s claim that Obi’s vehicle was left unattended for 30 minutes, arguing that the timestamps shown in the footage indicated only about six minutes between the vehicle’s arrival and the enforcement action.
The group also disputed the claim that Obi’s vehicle blocked the terminal entrance. It argued that another vehicle was able to stop behind Obi’s car without obstruction, which it said weakened the allegation that access to the terminal had been blocked.
The movement further claimed that the footage supported Obi’s earlier complaint that other vehicles were parked in the same area, yet enforcement officers acted only against his vehicle.
It accused the minister of ignoring that issue while concentrating on defending the enforcement action.
The group also questioned the editing of the CCTV footage, alleging that zooming into parts of the timestamp created a misleading impression of the duration of the incident.
Beyond the disagreement over the video, the movement accused government figures of repeatedly targeting Obi for political reasons. It argued that the real issue was not airport parking but what it called selective treatment of the former Anambra State governor.
The movement insisted that political disputes should not distract attention from issues affecting Nigerians, including inflation, insecurity and economic hardship.