The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has accused officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of preventing him from greeting members of Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, at an airport on Monday, allegedly because they feared losing their jobs.
Obi described the incident as another example of what he called the growing culture of “toxic politics” in Nigeria, claiming that political differences were increasingly being allowed to undermine national unity and ordinary human interactions.
In a statement posted on his X account on Monday, the former Anambra State governor said he arrived at the airport at about 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he saw the young footballers, who had just arrived and were preparing to leave the airport.
He said he asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the players but was informed that NFF officials had objected to the idea.
Abuja Municipal, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
