The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), of lying over the airport incident.

Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television, Mr Keyamo said Obi “lied like a fish drinking water” and accused him of lying deliberately.

“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 Mr Obi had complained of being harassed at the airport because of his political affiliation, noting that the NDC presidential candidate had appeared on the television station for an interview before him without being questioned 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.

He questioned whether it was fair for an opposition candidate to claim that he was harassed at the airport without allowing the minister responsible for aviation to verify the allegation.

“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.

This comes after the minister gave a one-week ultimatum to Mr Obi to apologise to workers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for portraying them as persecutors.

Peoples Gazette reported that Mr Keyamo issued the ultimatum after accusing Mr Obi of contradicting himself over claims that his vehicle’s tyres were unjustly clamped at the airport.