Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), saying he has little to offer Nigerians beyond what he described as questionable statistics and opposition to restoring petrol subsidy.

Shettima spoke at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, where he acknowledged Obi’s position against subsidy restoration but questioned the substance of his economic proposals.

“I respect Peter Obi for having the courage to say he’s not going to restore the petrol subsidy, but beyond spouting some dubious statistics, Mr Peter Obi has absolutely nothing to offer,” the Vice-President said.

The remarks represent Shettima’s latest criticism of Obi, whom he has repeatedly accused of relying on misleading statistics and economic prescriptions that may not adequately address Nigeria’s realities.

The Vice-President recently faulted Obi’s comparisons between Nigeria and Bangladesh, arguing that economic policies cannot be transplanted from one country to another without considering their distinct circumstances.

Using a clothing-size analogy, 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 economic policies must take account of the country’s population, institutions, political environment and economic structure rather than depend on models developed for other nations.

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities,” he added.

Shettima also challenged Obi’s claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, describing the assertion as unsupported by evidence.

He characterised the claim as a “delusion of grandeur” and accused Obi of presenting old political ideas as a new direction for the country.