Vice President Kashim Shettima has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, comparing Atiku to repeated Kenyan presidential contender Raila Odinga and accusing Obi of making unfounded claims about the 2023 election.
Shettima spoke at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election in Abuja.
On Atiku, who has run for president multiple times, Shettima said: “But believe me, Atiku Abubakar, who has contested for the presidency of this country for the eighth time, is no Abraham Lincoln. He is more of Odinga Odinga.”
Turning to Obi, Shettima described him as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions, who seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”
He argued that policies successful elsewhere could not simply be applied to Nigeria. “What succeeds in Bangladesh cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for the differences in our populations, economic structures, institutions, and national circumstances.”
Shettima further challenged Obi’s assertions about the 2023 presidential election. “I respect Peter Obi, but he has gone beyond his master of philosophy to make bogus claims about winning the 2023 presidential elections without adducing a shred of evidence to betray his assertion. This is called delusion of grandeur.”
The vice president defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying the administration had taken difficult decisions and deserved another term to deliver results. He urged campaigners to focus on ideas and policies while treating opponents with respect.
