Shettima tackles Atiku, Obi over economic plans

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has challenged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to justify their economic proposals for Nigeria, insisting that the country cannot rely on foreign models to address its economic challenges.

Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, where he defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms and urged party members to counter opposition criticism with facts.

He argued that Nigeria’s population, economic structure and peculiar circumstances required policies tailored to its realities rather than prescriptions borrowed from other countries.

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities,” the Vice-President said.

Taking a swipe at Obi, Shettima questioned his reliance on foreign economic comparisons, saying policies that worked in Bangladesh could not be transferred directly to Nigeria without considering the country’s circumstances.

He also criticised Obi’s claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, demanding evidence to support the assertion.

“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,” Shettima said.

He further described the former Anambra State governor as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”.

The Vice-President also criticised Atiku, arguing that political ambition must be backed by character, discipline and an understanding of the responsibilities of public office.

Despite his attacks on the opposition figures, Shettima urged APC campaigners to avoid personal insults and treat their political opponents with respect.

“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 urged party members to respond to opposition criticism with evidence and reason rather than sentiments or fabricated claims.

“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 said.

Shettima also defended the Tinubu administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy and measures to address distortions in the foreign exchange market, describing them as difficult decisions aimed at tackling longstanding economic problems.

However, he acknowledged that the government must ensure that the benefits of the reforms translate into jobs, improved earnings and better living conditions for Nigerians.

“The next obligation is to turn these gains into jobs, meaningful earnings and meaningful planning,” he said.

Citing economic growth of 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, Shettima said the administration had recorded progress but must ensure that improved economic indicators produced tangible benefits for households and businesses.

“We must protect the reforms, improve their execution, and carry their benefits from the treasury to the household,” he added.

The Vice-President argued that Tinubu deserved a second term because the administration’s reform programme had gained momentum that should not be lost.

“President Tinubu deserves a second term because the work has acquired momentum that Nigeria cannot afford to squander,” he said.

He charged members of the Presidential Campaign Council to take the administration’s policies and achievements to communities nationwide, listen to voters and explain the government’s plans.

“Every committee of the Presidential Campaign Council must earn its place through hard work. Every community must hear our case,” Shettima said.

He maintained that the APC’s 2027 electoral campaign must be backed by evidence of competence and a credible plan for Nigeria’s future.