Kwankwaso defends Obi over Shettima’s ‘bogus statistics’ jibe

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has responded to Vice-President Kashim Shettima's criticism of Peter Obi's use of economic statistics and comparisons between Nigeria and other nations. Kwankwaso argued that many of the figures cited by Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, were accurate, and questioned Shettima's portrayal of Obi as a figure who relies on dubious data and inconsistent economic proposals.

During the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, Shettima had described Obi as "my very good friend" but criticized his comparative analysis of Nigeria and countries like Bangladesh. Shettima contended that Nigeria's situation differed substantially from Bangladesh's and questioned the applicability of lessons from the Asian country to Nigeria's context.

Kwankwaso, in an interview with Channels Television, defended his candidate, stating that his examination of the figures referenced by Obi did not reveal significant inaccuracies. He suggested that it would be unreasonable to expect Obi to always be flawless and argued that Shettima's characterization of Obi was unjustified. Kwankwaso highlighted that Obi's understanding of developmental indicators in various parts of the world was a valuable trait for a presidential candidate, emphasizing that such knowledge would be beneficial to Nigeria's leadership.

He also noted that their shared visions for the country's development and their common goals in unifying North and South political leaders influenced their decision to collaborate under the NDC.