Panic as Plane Carrying Peter Obi Nearly Crashes — Passengers Thought He Was Gone

A major aviation disaster was narrowly averted on Tuesday when a commercial aircraft carrying the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and over 100 other passengers suffered a terrifying mid-air malfunction at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Eyewitnesses and aviation insiders confirmed that Obi was aboard Air Peace flight P47123, which departed Abuja around 12:59pm, nearly 25 minutes behind schedule. The plane, expected to land in Lagos at 1:55pm, remained airborne and disoriented for over 30 minutes, finally landing at 2:25pm amidst panic and prayer.

“The pilot lost control. For almost 30 minutes, the plane hovered aimlessly. It kept trying to land but had to pull up again and again. People were screaming, crying, praying. It was chaos. At a point, we thought it would crash into houses,” a shaken passenger told Irohinoodua, requesting anonymity.

As tension filled the cabin, Peter Obi, seated in the economy section, reportedly remained calm and reassuring. “He kept telling everyone to be calm, that everything would be fine,” another passenger recounted. “We thought it was the end. If that plane had gone down, nobody would have believed it wasn’t sabotage — not with Peter Obi on board.”

Many on the flight described the scene as apocalyptic. A mother of two said she prepared for the worst. “I almost gave up. The plane kept jerking and circling. People were praying loudly, casting out demons. We hovered endlessly like we were trapped between life and death.”

Another passenger, Dr. Benson Onuwaje, was hailed as a spiritual anchor during the ordeal. From the first-class section, he reportedly stood up to pray for the safety of all on board. “He called on God with authority. He encouraged us all to believe we’d make it. And somehow, we did,” said Mathew Adekunle, a businessman who was also on the flight.

Aviation authorities have yet to provide a detailed report, but insiders suggest the delay and hovering were the result of a critical failure in the plane’s landing coordination system or possible air traffic control mishandling. The incident once again raises pressing questions about the safety and reliability of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure.

Peter Obi had reportedly just returned from a visit to flood-ravaged communities in Northern Nigeria, where he recently donated ₦20 million to victims in Niger State. His return to Abuja was for a scheduled political meeting, before boarding the ill-fated Lagos-bound flight.

“It was divine intervention,” said a visibly emotional survivor. “If anything had happened to Peter Obi, this country would have gone up in flames. Thank God we survived. Nigeria dodged a bullet today.”