KEY POINTS
- Obi says NFF officials stopped him from greeting the Flamingos at Abuja airport.
- The Presidency accuses him of politicizing national teams.
- The National Sports Commission disputes his account and wants an apology.
Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi and the Presidency traded accusations Monday after Obi said football officials stopped him from greeting the Flamingos, Nigeria’s newly crowned under-17 women’s world champions, at Abuja’s airport, Vanguard reported.
In a statement, Obi said he arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 7 a.m. to catch a flight to Enugu when he saw the team, which had just returned from Morocco. He asked his protocol officer to arrange a greeting, he said, but Nigeria Football Federation officials refused, saying they would lose their jobs. Obi called it “the new dimension of toxic politics” in Nigeria.
He also said he faced similar treatment at a World Cup qualifier in Uyo on March 25, 2025.
Presidency rejects Flamingos airport claim
The Presidency quickly pushed back. Dada Olusegun, the president’s special assistant on social media, said national athletes represent the whole country, not any party, and that protocol rules protect young players from political exploitation. He accused Obi of turning standard procedures into a story of victimization.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo accused Obi of hypocrisy, suggesting he wanted photo opportunities with a national success story he often criticizes.
Sports commission disputes Obi’s account
The National Sports Commission went further. Officials who received the team said they never saw Obi near the players, the commission said, adding that the team arrived through the international terminal while Obi would have used the domestic one. It asked him to apologize to the players, TVC News reported.
The commission’s director-general also called Obi a “pathological liar,” First Weekly Magazine reported.
The Flamingos beat Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Morocco to win the title.
