Precious Nwonu, Enugu

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has accused officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of preventing him from greeting members of the victorious Flamingos team at the Abuja airport.

Obi made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday, titled “A New Dimension of Toxic Politics in Nigeria,” where he expressed concern over what he described as the increasing influence of political divisions in the country.

According to the former Anambra State governor, he arrived at the Abuja airport around 7 am on Monday to catch a flight to Enugu when he sighted the Nigeria Under-17 women’s team returning from Morocco after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

He said he directed his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to seek permission for him to welcome and congratulate the players but was informed that NFF officials had rejected the request.

“I was informed that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation had refused and had requested that I not approach,” Obi said.

He added that the incident was not the first time he had allegedly been prevented from interacting with members of Nigeria’s national football team.

Obi recalled a similar experience on March 25, 2025, during a World Cup qualifying match in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

He said the state governor had welcomed him at the VIP stand before the match, but he was later prevented from greeting the players after the game.

“Following the match, other government officials went to greet the players, but I was again prevented from doing so. I was told by the officials that they would lose their jobs if I proceeded,” he said.

Describing the incidents as examples of what he called toxic politics, Obi lamented what he considered a worsening political atmosphere in Nigeria since 2025.

He urged Nigerians to build a society where political differences would not lead to hostility, exclusion or discrimination.

The former governor stressed the need for unity, mutual respect and shared humanity, regardless of political affiliations.

The NFF had yet to publicly respond to Obi’s allegation as of the time of filing this report.

The Flamingos returned to Abuja on Monday after defeating Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Morocco to claim their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

The victory also made Nigeria the first African country to win the competition.