Vice President Kashim Shettima
Vice President Kashim Shettima has taken a swipe at the former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, describing him as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Calling Obi “my very good friend”, the Vice President mocked his habit of comparing Nigeria with other countries, especially Bangladesh.
Shettima stated. “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”
He said Obi’s “fascination with foreign comparisons overlooks the peculiarities that distinguish one nation from another”.
According to the VP, “Governance is an art that demands mastery of context, whether social, economic, political or institutional.
“What succeeds in Bangladesh cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for the differences in our population, economic structures, institutions and national circumstances.
“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities.”
Shettima said he respected Obi but accused him of making a “bogus claim” about winning the 2023 presidential election without evidence to support the assertion.
“This is called delusion of grandeur.
Our contest is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance,” he said.
Obi has frequently cited Bangladesh in his criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic management, including its borrowing.
In February, he said Nigeria’s challenge was fund mismanagement, not borrowing.
Obi ran as the Labour Party candidate in 2023 and finished third behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.
He challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, and the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and affirmed Tinubu’s election in October 2023.
Obi is seeking the presidency again in the election on January 16, 2027, on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The APC will flag off its campaign in Kaduna on October 24.