Vice President Kashim Shettima has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, criticising their economic proposals and political ambitions....
Vice President Kashim Shettima has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, criticising their economic proposals and political ambitions.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, where he defended President Bola Tinubu and recalled the President’s political support for Atiku during his 2007 presidential bid.
“In 2022, I reminded this nation that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid in 2007 found refuge in the political house President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had built. That generosity became part of our political history,” he said.
The Vice President argued that Tinubu’s political decisions had shaped Nigeria’s political landscape, adding that the President should not be judged solely by the criticisms of his opponents.
“Had President Tinubu surrendered to expediency, some of today’s critics might have been writing epistles on a collapsed economy from the comfort of London, Dubai, Morocco or New York,” Shettima said.
He also defended Tinubu’s status as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, insisting that the office deserved respect regardless of political differences.
“You can call him Bola, if you like, call him Adekunle, but the truth is that he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” he said.
Shettima subsequently criticised Atiku’s repeated presidential bids, comparing his political journey to that of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
He also attacked Obi’s economic proposals, describing them as unrealistic and poorly suited to Nigeria’s circumstances.
“The master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions, who seems to believe a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit a Nigeria size 52,” Shettima said, referring to Obi.
The remarks came as the APC intensified preparations for the 2027 general elections, with Tinubu seeking re-election.