Facts emerged on Thursday over the grounding of the campaign aircraft of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Head of Media of Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Mr Diran Onidade, had in a statement decried the development, expressing surprise at the yet “to be explained grounding of its campaign aircraft.”

He said the action led to the inability of LP and campaign officials, who had already gathered at Lagos and Abuja airports, to attend the Ibadan rally.

Our correspondent reports that the aircraft with registration number 5Y-HPY is a Bombardier DHC-8-400 aircraft owned by DAC Aviation International, an aircraft leasing company.

Sources told Daily Trust on Thursday that the aircraft was grounded for allegedly violating safety procedures by refusing to comply with instruction from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) not to depart Benin airport.

It was learnt that the regulatory authority had commenced an investigation into the matter while the aircraft remained grounded in Lagos.

“This has nothing to do with politics and NCAA has zero tolerance for regulatory infractions. Aviation is a highly regulated industry and we cannot afford to take any chance because lives are involved,” another source said.

The NCAA has not spoken officially on the matter as the Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, had yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of press time.

Daily Trust reports that apart from a few international airports such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu which have a 24-hour operation, other airports like Benin and Ibadan are sunset airports, which means, they are operational from sunrise to sunset.

The airport operation is only expected on special request but it was not clear whether such a request was filed to ATCs which are under the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

happney65:
He can't win. He can't win . He is just disturbing himself. But he is mentioned more than other candidates. A foreigner seeing our political stuffs from abroad will think Obi is the candidate of the ruling party.

They still had to ground his plane. The very candidate they claim cannot win . Why don't they classify him in the group of sowore or the SDP guy who nobody seems to be talking about. Yet it is Obi that is giving them HBP. From stadium denial in Edo,to grounding his plane and coming up with nonesense excuses.

Yet they will come in public and still rant he can't win.. No be juju be that?

dawnomike:
Alright! The rally has come and gone... And it was a great rally!!!

festacman:
If NCAA fails to do it's technical regulatory function and anything happens to the airplane, FG will be accused of stopping Peter Obi and then another avoidable confusion will be created.

So, I will advise Peter Obi's team to work with NCAA to clear any outstanding issues with that rented South African airplane. A stitch in time saves nine.

property123:


How to you feel writing this trash?

Sources told Daily Trust on Thursday that the aircraft was grounded for allegedly violating safety procedures by refusing to comply with instruction from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) not to depart Benin airport.

Sources told Daily Trust on Thursday that the aircraft was grounded for allegedly violating safety procedures by refusing to comply with instruction from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) not to depart Benin airport.

But some brainwashed swines and terrorist supporters will still wail and cry for doing this noble act for their lying machine.
It's in their lineage to wail.
No diggity!

Cyberterror:


Which great rally? Something they did outside the stadium with canopies because they didn't have enough people to fill up that small stadium.

happney65:
He can't win. He can't win . He is just disturbing himself. But he is mentioned more than other candidates. A foreigner seeing our political stuffs from abroad will think Obi is the candidate of the ruling party.

They still had to ground his plane. The very candidate they claim cannot win . Why don't they classify him in the group of sowore or the SDP guy who nobody seems to be talking about. Yet it is Obi that is giving them HBP. From stadium denial in Edo,to grounding his plane and coming up with nonesense excuses.

Yet they will come in public and still rant he can't win.. No be juju be that?

Lanretoye:
It only buhari and Tinubu's aircraft that can fly at will,we declare cofew on obi's aircraft.