Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says Nigerians are prepared to closely scrutinise claims made by Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), ahead of the 2027 general election.

Keyamo made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, amid an ongoing dispute between Obi and the Anambra State Government over the financial records of his tenure as governor.

The minister rejected suggestions that the frequent public attention on Obi amounted to an obsession with the former Anambra governor, arguing that increased scrutiny was necessary to verify the accuracy of his claims.

“I see some suggestions that everyone is ‘obsessed’ about Peter Obi because we are always talking about him. I am sorry, but they miss the point,” Keyamo wrote.

He alleged that Obi made inaccurate claims during the 2023 presidential campaign but escaped adequate scrutiny at the time.

“When someone lies per second, you also have to fact-check him per second. He got away with the lies in 2023, but this time Nigerians are ready to fact-check every claim of the ‘yes-daddy’ man,” the minister said.

The comments came as Obi and the Anambra State Government continue to exchange claims over the former governor’s financial record.

The state government has alleged that some loans obtained during Obi’s tenure remain outstanding and are still being serviced. It has also questioned Obi’s claim that N2.13 billion was left in a First Bank account for the Oko and Umuchiana erosion control project.

Obi, however, has maintained that he left office without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or liabilities to contractors for projects that had been duly executed.

Keyamo said the level of public discussion surrounding Obi was linked to the claims made by the former governor and the need to subject them to scrutiny.