Shettima Fires Back at Peter Obi, Says He Has Nothing to Offer Beyond Statistics

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has taken another swipe at Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, arguing that the opposition figure has no meaningful proposals for Nigerians beyond what he called dubious statistics and his stance against restoring petrol subsidy.

Speaking at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, Shettima acknowledged Obi’s position on subsidy removal but questioned the substance of his economic agenda.

“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,” he said.

Shettima’s latest remarks follow his recent criticism of Obi’s use of statistics and economic recommendations, which he argued may not be suitable for Nigeria’s unique circumstances.

The Vice-President had specifically questioned Obi’s comparisons between Nigeria and Bangladesh, insisting that economic strategies must account for differences between countries instead of being adopted wholesale.

To drive home his point, Shettima used a clothing-size comparison, saying: “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”

He maintained that Nigeria’s policies should be shaped by the country’s population, institutions, political environment and economic structure.

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

He also challenged Obi’s assertion that he won the 2023 presidential election, describing the claim as lacking supporting evidence.

Shettima went further to label the assertion a “delusion of grandeur”, while criticising what he described as an effort to repackage old political ideas as a fresh vision for Nigeria.

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