Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday described former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions, in a blistering address that marked the formal inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council and set the tone for the ruling party's re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, Shettima took aim at Obi's frequent comparisons between Nigeria and other countries, particularly Bangladesh, arguing that governance demands mastery of context and that policies which succeed elsewhere cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for differences in population, economic structures and institutions. "He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria's size 52 frame," Shettima said. "A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities." He described Obi as "my very good friend" before delivering the attack, a rhetorical device that framed the criticism as an intervention in a debate among compatriots rather than a personal vendetta.
The Vice President went further, accusing Obi of making what he called a bogus claim about winning the 2023 presidential election without adducing evidence to support the assertion. "I respect Peter Obi. But he has gone beyond his mastery of philosophy to make an august claim about winning the 2023 presidential election without adducing a shred of evidence to buttress his assertion," Shettima said. "This is called delusion of grandeur. Our contest is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow's deliverance." Obi ran on the Labour Party platform in 2023, finishing third behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He challenged the result in court, and the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal in October 2023, affirming Tinubu's election. Obi is seeking the presidency again in the election scheduled for January 16, 2027, on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate.
Shettima also took a swipe at Atiku, who has repeatedly sought the presidency, saying political ambition must be matched by character, discipline and an understanding of the responsibilities attached to public office. The ADC presidential candidate was not spared the Vice President's criticism, though the focus of the address remained on Obi and his economic arguments. The Vice President's intervention reflected a broader effort by the ruling party to define the 2027 contest as a choice between continuity and a return to the past, and to frame opposition candidates as lacking the policy depth required to govern a country of Nigeria's complexity.
Despite the sharpness of his criticisms, Shettima urged APC campaigners to treat political opponents with respect and dignity, describing them as fellow Nigerians rather than enemies. "For the rest of the duration of this campaign, we'll discuss ideas, we'll discuss policies, but we'll treat all our opponents with respect and dignity. They are not our enemies. They are our brothers. They are our countrymen. They are our leaders," he said. He warned the campaign council against being drawn into exchanges of insults, urging members to respond to criticism with facts, statistics and reason rather than sentiments or fabricated claims. "We have the capacity to respond to all sorts of innuendos and outright lies that our political opponents are taking on. But we won't fall into their traps. We'll give them facts. We'll give them statistics. We argue with reason, not with sentiments, not with exaggerated truth or fabricated lies," he said.
The Vice President defended the Tinubu administration's economic record, saying the government had inherited an economy facing severe fiscal pressures and had taken difficult decisions, including removing the petrol subsidy and addressing distortions in the foreign exchange market. He argued that the reforms were necessary to address longstanding economic challenges, while acknowledging the responsibility to ensure that their benefits reached Nigerians. He cited economic growth of 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026 as evidence of progress under the administration, though he acknowledged that improved economic indicators must translate into tangible benefits for citizens. "The next obligation is to turn these gains into jobs, meaningful earnings and meaningful planning," he said. He said the administration's priority should be to protect the reforms, improve their implementation and ensure that public resources deliver results for households and businesses.
The inauguration of the campaign council came a day after the APC released a revised and expanded list of its presidential campaign council, which included the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State in strategic positions. Wike was named coordinator for Rivers State and the FCT, while Soludo will oversee Anambra and Adeleke will coordinate Osun. The inclusion of opposition figures in the campaign structure has drawn mixed reactions, with some APC stakeholders expressing concerns about the appointment of non-members to leadership roles. Wike, however, defended his appointment, saying the situation in Rivers State was peculiar and that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had not been sidelined. The APC in Rivers State described the appointments as internal party affairs, saying the national leadership was not required to justify its decisions to non-members.
The APC is scheduled to flag off its campaign in Kaduna on October 24, followed by rallies in Port Harcourt and Maiduguri, with the full schedule to be released after the council's inauguration. The choice of Kaduna as the launching pad is intended to signal the President's continued support in the North-West, a region that forms the backbone of his electoral coalition. The campaign's subsequent stops in Port Harcourt and Maiduguri suggest an intention to project national reach, engaging the South-South and North-East regions where the APC's support has been contested in previous elections. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while Atiku is contesting on the ADC ticket with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, Obi is flying the flag of the NDC with Kwankwaso, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is running on the Allied Peoples Movement platform.
The political context of Shettima's remarks is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. The economy and the cost of living have emerged as the central issues in the campaign, and the government has consistently pointed to its reforms as necessary steps towards long-term stability and prosperity. Critics, however, argue that the benefits have not reached ordinary Nigerians, who continue to grapple with high food and transport costs. The National Peace Committee has recorded 60 election-related incidents within one month, including political violence, intimidation, threats and misinformation, and has warned political actors against inflammatory campaigns. As the APC opens its campaign with a direct attack on the opposition's economic credibility, the coming weeks will determine whether the ruling party's message resonates with voters or whether the opposition's counter-narrative gains traction. For now, the campaign has begun, and Shettima has made the ruling party's position clear: Nigeria cannot be governed with borrowed statistics, and the APC intends to defend its record with facts.
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