By David Oluwatosin
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over his economic assessments of Nigeria and his continued claim that he won the 2023 presidential election.
Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Describing Obi as “my very good friend”, the Vice-President called him “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”, faulting what he characterised as the former Labour Party presidential candidate’s reliance on comparisons between Nigeria and other countries.
Shettima particularly challenged Obi’s comparisons with Bangladesh, arguing that economic policies cannot be transferred from one country to another without accounting for differences in population, institutions, economic structure and national circumstances.
“He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame,” Shettima said.
He maintained that Nigeria required economic policies designed around its specific circumstances rather than prescriptions borrowed from other countries.
“Governance is an art that demands mastery of context, whether social, economic, political or institutional,” he said.
“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities.”
Obi has repeatedly cited Bangladesh in his criticism of the Federal Government’s economic management, including its borrowing policy.
In February, the former Anambra governor argued that Nigeria’s problem was the mismanagement of borrowed funds rather than borrowing itself.
Shettima’s comments add to the political disagreement over the government’s economic policies and the appropriate approach to managing Nigeria’s finances.
The Vice-President also challenged Obi’s assertion that he won the 2023 presidential election, describing the claim as a “bogus claim” that he said was unsupported by evidence.
“This is called delusion of grandeur. Our contest is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance,” Shettima said.
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Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party and finished third behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, but the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and affirmed the election result in October 2023.
Obi is seeking the presidency again in the January 16, 2027 election on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the APC is scheduled to commence its 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna on October 24.
The inauguration of the presidential campaign council marks another step in the ruling party’s preparations for the next general election, as political parties intensify efforts to promote their positions on governance and the economy.
