Vice President Kashim Shettima has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, saying Atiku is no Abraham Lincoln despite his repeated attempts to become president, while accusing Obi of making bogus economic claims and displaying delusions of grandeur over the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, Shettima questioned the opposition figure’s political credentials and economic proposals while defending President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, arguing that the administration had taken difficult decisions to protect the economy and deserved another four years to deliver their benefits to Nigerians.
“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 a politician whose economic arguments relied heavily on foreign comparisons without sufficient consideration for Nigeria’s circumstances. “Then comes my very good friend, Mr. Peter Obi, 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 adopted in other countries could not simply be transferred to Nigeria without accounting for differences in population, institutions and economic structures.
“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 also challenged Obi’s claims about the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, accusing him of failing to provide evidence to support his position. “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.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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