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AON Rebukes Oshiomhole over Airport Incident, Demands Probe
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) yesterday condemned the conduct of former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, during an incident at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, describing it as unacceptable and another example of the growing trend of unruly passenger behaviour towards domestic airlines.
AON spokesperson, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, expressed disappointment that two days after the incident, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had yet to provide clarity on what transpired.
Okonkwo made these remarks in Lagos during an event where United Nigeria Airlines announced its integration into the SIBAS Global Distribution System (GDS).
He stated: “As much as we appreciate and understand that every passenger has rights, those rights are limited to what is allowed within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations and aviation industry standards.
“There is no amount of disappointment that justifies self-help. What you saw was a clear case of unruly behaviour, and it is not acceptable. Air Peace is a respected airline that carries between 40 to 50 per cent of domestic passengers. As such, they deserve respect.
“It is someone’s investment, and it is unfair to demonise the airline. That is far removed from addressing any actual issues.
“We have reviewed the claims made by Senator Oshiomhole and find no logic in them. No airline would deliberately refuse to carry its passengers. We go to great lengths to satisfy our passengers.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the relevant aviation authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident.
In a statement posted on his official X handle, Keyamo confirmed that he had spoken with both Oshiomhole and Air Peace, urging all parties to exercise restraint pending the outcome of the investigation.
A former Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo, has officially decamped from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), unconfirmed reports claim.
Sambo served as Vice President of Nigeria from May 19, 2010 to May 29, 2015 under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Before then, he had also served as Governor of Kaduna State from 2007 to 2010.
Sambo has become the latest high-profile politician to dump the PDP for the APC in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.
President Bola Tinubu has visited surviving victims of last Friday’s brutal attack in Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Tinubu visited the State following the attack, which left over 59 people dead and several others injured.
The President went straight to the hospital after arriving at the Tactical Air Command, Nigerian Air Force Base, Makurdi, at about 12:58 pm on Wednesday.
He later left the hospital for the new Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House, where he is expected to meet with major stakeholders in the state in view of the violent attacks that have led to the loss of lives.
Tinubu is expected to meet with families of victims, displaced and injured persons, and community leaders directly impacted by the violence.
The meeting with the stakeholders is part of a broader effort to find a lasting solution to the crisis that has affected parts of the state, especially rural communities.
Expected at the meeting are key national and state-level figures, including the state governor, Hyacinth Alia; governors from across the country, particularly from the North-Central states; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
Also expected to attend are service chiefs, key members of the National Assembly, leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and other prominent individuals, especially those representing affected communities in Benue.
A former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, ha revealed that he resigned from the administration in order to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu said his decision was driven by a matter of “principle and conscience,” as he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
“It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, referring to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech where the president claimed to enjoy seeing the opposition in disarray.
“I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him. Collectively, Nigerians will install a leader that will be our chosen, not his chosen. Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”
He also criticised the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government, questioning his loyalty and the legitimacy of such a move.
“What is Wike doing in our government? If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals. The party is what we vote for — not Bola Tinubu but APC; not Atiku but PDP; not Peter Obi but Labour Party.”
Audu’s resignation letter, dated June 8, criticised the APC’s political trajectory and warned against what he described as a deliberate silencing of opposition voices. In a follow-up statement, he clarified that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would not lend himself “as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party State.”
“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he said.
