Posted by Chinenye on Tue 10th Nov, 2026 - tori.ng
The National Sports Commission has denied claims that Peter Obi was prevented from meeting Nigeria's Flamingos football team at the airport.
(Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi. Photo by Punch News)
The NSC has stated that nobody stopped Peter Obi from meeting the Flamingos at the Airport.
In a statement on Monday, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko said Obi never approached the officials himself.
He said two people wearing Obi campaign caps and other campaign clothing made the request for photos with the players.
Dikko said the NSC and NFF officials who received the team did not see Obi near the players or at the international terminal.
He said the team landed from Morocco at about 5:30am, and officials turned down the request because the players were tired after their trip and the tournament.
He also rejected Obi's claim that officials threatened to lose their jobs, saying nothing in their account supports that.
Dikko also disputed Obi's account of a similar incident at a World Cup qualifier in Uyo in March 2025.
He said the players chose not to receive visitors in their dressing room after the match against Zimbabwe, and that no officials or governors visited them either.
He added that FIFA rules limit access to dressing rooms to accredited people.
He said passengers and airport staff welcomed the team, taking photos and dancing with the players as they walked to their buses.
Dikko blamed Obi for turning a last minute request into a huge political arguement without checking with the security councilor the football officials first.