Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, describing him as a “master of bogus statistics”.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He called Obi “my very good friend” but faulted his frequent comparisons between Nigeria and other countries, particularly Bangladesh.
Referring to Obi, Shettima said, “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”
He argued that Nigeria’s population and national conditions make it difficult to apply another country’s economic plans without proper adjustments.
“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 without its peculiarities.”
Shettima also said, “This is called ‘delusion of grandeur’. Our context is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance.”
However, he urged APC campaigners to treat political opponents with respect, 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 party members against trading insults, insisting that they should respond to claims with facts, statistics and reason instead of emotions.
