The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has defended the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, following Vice President Kashim Shettima’s description of him as a “master of bogus statistics.”
Kwankwaso spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he maintained that most of the figures presented by Obi were accurate.
Shettima had criticised the former Anambra State governor, describing him as a “master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions.”
However, reacting to the comment, Kwankwaso said he regularly listened to Obi and independently checked the statistics he presented, adding that most of them were correct.
“I always listen to Peter Obi and take time to check the statistics, and most of the figures are correct. But the only thing is that, as human beings, we’re bound to make mistakes or slip of the tongue,” he said.
The former Kano State governor praised Obi’s knowledge of economic and statistical information, noting that his understanding extended beyond Nigeria to other parts of the world.
He said Obi’s familiarity with figures relating to different countries was a positive attribute for a presidential candidate.
“So I am happy that our presidential candidate is somebody who is conversant with the statistics, not only in this country but all over the world; in Europe, in Asia and everywhere. And I think that is a good sign,” Kwankwaso added.
The exchange comes amid growing political discussions ahead of the 2027 general election, with leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition parties increasingly criticising one another’s economic policies and political records.
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