Vice President Kashim Shettima has questioned the suitability of Peter Obi’s economic proposals for Nigeria, warning that policies adopted in other countries cannot be applied wholesale without accounting for the country’s population, economic structure and local conditions.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
He described the 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions” and urged Nigerians to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities”, he said.
The VP cited Bangladesh as an example of a country whose economic policies could not automatically produce similar results in Nigeria because of differences in population, institutions and prevailing economic conditions.
Shettima also challenged Obi’s repeated claims that he won the 2023 presidential election.
“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”, the Vice President said.
Shettima also criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his presidential ambition, arguing that the pursuit of the nation’s highest office required character, discipline and an understanding of the responsibilities of leadership.
Despite his attacks on opposition figures, Shettima told APC campaign officials to avoid personal disputes and focus on policy debates and the administration’s record.
“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 declared.
He said the ruling party would respond to criticism with evidence and reason rather than engage in hostile exchanges.
“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 stated.
On the economy, Shettima defended the Tinubu administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy and its foreign exchange reforms, describing the measures as necessary responses to fiscal pressures and structural weaknesses.
He acknowledged the hardship associated with the policies but maintained that the government was beginning to record positive economic results.
The VP cited reported economic growth of 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, while acknowledging that improved economic indicators would need to translate into tangible gains for households.
“The next obligation is to turn these gains into jobs, meaningful earnings and meaningful planning”, he said.
Shettima said the government needed to improve policy implementation and ensure that increased public revenue produced better outcomes for Nigerians.
“We must protect the reforms, improve their execution, and carry their benefits from the treasury to the household”, the Vice President declared.
He urged that Tinubu should be given a second term to consolidate the administration’s economic programme, warning that abandoning the reforms midway could undermine the progress achieved so far.
“President Tinubu deserves a second term because the work has acquired momentum that Nigeria cannot afford to squander”, he said.
Shettima urged members of the APC campaign council to engage directly with communities, explain the administration’s policies and set out how its programmes would improve living conditions.
“Every committee of the Presidential Campaign Council must earn its place through hard work. Every community must hear our case,” he said.
He added that APC’s 2027 campaign should rest on the administration’s performance and plans for the country, adding that the party needed to justify the confidence it was asking voters to place in it.
“Our appeal in 2027 must therefore be worthy of the confidence we sought in 2022. We chose a leader capable of building beyond himself. We must now secure the time for those foundations to serve generations beyond us”, he said.
Shettima maintained that the administration’s success would depend on its ability to strengthen institutions, expand economic opportunities and ensure that the costs of its reforms translate into lasting benefits for Nigerians.
