The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, of stopping him from greeting Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s football team at the airport, claiming they feared losing their jobs if they allowed him to approach the players.
Obi said he arrived at the airport at 7 a.m. on Monday to board a flight to Enugu when he saw the team preparing to leave for town.
He said he asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out if he could greet the players but was told that NFF officials had refused his request.
According to Obi, the officials warned that they could lose their jobs if he approached the team.
He also recalled a similar incident on March 25, 2025, when he attended a World Cup qualifier in Uyo.
Obi claimed that although the governor welcomed him at the VIP stand, officials later prevented him from greeting the players after the match.
Reacting to both incidents, the presidential candidate described what he experienced as another example of what he called toxic politics in Nigeria.
“The new Nigeria we aspire to build must have no room for hostility, intimidation, or discrimination, regardless of political affiliation,” Obi wrote.
“It must be a Nigeria in which unity, mutual respect, and our shared humanity take precedence over political differences.”
