The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has launched a scathing attack on Peter Obi, accusing the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate of hypocrisy. The rebuke follows Obi’s public complaint that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) blocked him from greeting the Flamingos, Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s national football team.
In a strongly worded statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Keyamo questioned Obi’s rationale for seeking association with a national triumph under the current administration, given his frequent criticisms of the country’s governance and socio-economic state.
The minister argued that Obi’s attempt to interact with the players was driven purely by a desire for political optics and photo opportunities rather than genuine goodwill.
Keyamo wrote: *”Mr. Peter Obi, in all your public vituperations, you often say things akin to the fact that ‘Nigeria is finished’. So, why are you now so anxious to associate with a success story of the country or this government? Just for photo ops? You see the hypocrisy?”*
The controversy began earlier on Monday when Obi, who was at the airport to catch an early morning flight to Enugu around 7:00 AM, spotted the Flamingos upon their return to Abuja. The team had just arrived home following a stellar campaign, capped by a thrilling 2-1 victory over Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in Rabat, Morocco.
According to Obi, he instructed his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to seek permission from handlers for him to approach, congratulate, and welcome the young athletes. However, the request was turned down.
Obi claimed that NFF officials flatly rejected the overture out of fear of victimization and losing their jobs should they be seen interacting with a prominent opposition figure.
Lamenting the incident, the former Anambra State governor recalled a similar occurrence on March 25, 2025, in Uyo, where he alleged he was similarly barred from greeting members of the senior national team after a World Cup qualifying match.
Expressing deep concern over the trajectory of the nation’s political culture, OBSERVERS TIMES warned reported that Obi condemned what he termed “toxic politics,” arguing that partisan divisions should never supersede national pride and mutual respect.
He emphasized that celebrating shared national achievements should remain a unifying force, asserting that the prosperous Nigeria of the future must eliminate hostility, intimidation, and political discrimination.
As the war of words between the executive and the opposition continues to draw reactions from the public, the incident has once again brought to the fore the uneasy intersection of sports and partisan politics in Nigeria.
