Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has accused officials of the Nigerian Football Federation of preventing him from congratulating Nigeria's victorious Flamingos following their triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Obi made the allegation in a post shared on his verified X handle on Monday, November 9, 2026, where he narrated his encounter with the players at the airport.

The Flamingos had recently secured the world title after defeating Japan 2-1 in the final played in Rabat, Morocco, prompting celebrations over the team's achievement.

Obi said he was delighted to see the young footballers and wanted to personally congratulate them for making the country proud. However, he claimed that his attempt to approach the team was blocked by NFF officials.

Explaining what happened, the former governor said he instructed his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to make enquiries about whether he could meet and welcome the players.

He disclosed that the response he received was that the federation's officials would risk losing their positions if they permitted him to greet the team.

Obi expressed disappointment over the alleged treatment, using the incident to highlight what he described as the damaging influence of politics in Nigeria.

According to him, the situation reflects how political divisions have become so pronounced that even a moment meant for national celebration can be affected by political considerations.

Sharing his experience, the NDC presidential hopeful stated:

"With genuine joy and enthusiasm, I asked my Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas to find out whether I could greet and welcome the team. I was informed that officials of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF had refused and had requested that I should not approach them because if I did, they would all lose their jobs".

The allegation has brought attention to the relationship between politics and sports administration in Nigeria, with Obi questioning why a national sporting achievement should become entangled in political differences.