Shettima Says Obi Has Nothing to Offer Nigerians Beyond ‘Dubious Statistics’

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), saying the former Anambra State governor has little to offer Nigerians beyond what he described as questionable statistics and his opposition to the restoration of petrol subsidy.

Shettima made the remarks at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, where he acknowledged Obi’s position against restoring the subsidy but questioned the substance of his economic proposals.

“I respect Peter Obi for having the courage to say he’s not going to restore the petrol subsidy, but beyond spouting some dubious statistics, Mr Peter Obi has absolutely nothing to offer,” the Vice-President said.

The comments represent another public criticism of Obi by Shettima, who has previously challenged the opposition politician’s use of economic statistics and comparisons with other countries.

In an earlier criticism, Shettima questioned Obi’s comparisons between Nigeria and Bangladesh, arguing that economic policies developed for one country cannot automatically be applied to another without considering their different circumstances.

Using a clothing-size analogy, the Vice-President said: “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”

Shettima argued that Nigeria’s economic policies should reflect the country’s population, institutions, political environment and economic structure rather than rely on statistics and prescriptions borrowed from other countries.

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities,” he added.

The Vice-President also challenged Obi’s claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, describing the assertion as unsupported by evidence.

Shettima characterised the claim as a “delusion of grandeur” and accused Obi of presenting old political ideas as a new direction for the country.

The exchange adds to the political debate between the Tinubu administration and Obi over economic management, petrol subsidy policy and the direction Nigeria should take ahead of the 2027 general election.