Beyond spouting statistics, Peter Obi has nothing to offer — Shettima

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, saying he has nothing to offer Nigerians beyond what he described as questionable statistics and his opposition to restoring petrol subsidy. Shettima made the remarks at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, where he acknowledged Obi’s position on subsidy removal 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 latest criticism marks another public attack by Shettima on Obi, whom he recently accused of relying on misleading statistics and economic prescriptions that may not suit Nigeria’s circumstances.

Shettima recently questioned Obi’s comparisons between Nigeria and Bangladesh, arguing that economic policies cannot be transferred from one country to another without considering their differences. He illustrated his argument with a clothing-size analogy, saying: “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.” According to Shettima, Nigeria’s economic policies must reflect its population, institutions, political environment and economic structure rather than depend on models developed for 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 criticised what he portrayed as an attempt to present old political ideas as a new direction for Nigeria.