Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has alleged that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials prevented him from congratulating the victorious Under-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Monday morning.
Obi said he arrived at the airport around 7 a.m. to catch a flight to Enugu and spotted the team, which had just returned after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Eager to welcome the players, he asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to check if he could greet them.
According to Obi, NFF officials refused and specifically requested that he stay away, warning that allowing the interaction could cost them their jobs.In a statement titled “A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria,” Obi described the episode as evidence of deepening political toxicity. He recalled a similar incident on March 25, 2025, during a World Cup qualifying match in Uyo.
Although the state governor welcomed him at the VIP stand, officials later blocked him from greeting the players after the game, again citing fears of job losses.“Regrettably, this is not the first time I have been subjected to such treatment,” Obi said. “It is deeply troubling to witness the extent of toxic politics into which our nation has descended since 2025. Each year appears to bring further deterioration.”
He stressed that the Nigeria he hopes to help build should have no place for hostility, intimidation, or discrimination based on political affiliation. “It must be a Nigeria in which unity, mutual respect, and our shared humanity take precedence over political differences. A new Nigeria is possible.”
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SORRY, STOP CRYING.. MUST YOU WHINE ABOUT EVERYTHING??? I SUDDENLY REMEMBERED THAT YOU'RE YET TO REPLY KEYAMO, WHO CALLED YOU OUT FOR YOUR LIES, ABOUT THE AIRPORT INCIDENCE
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