- Obi said Nigeria now ranks among the hungriest nations in the world, with millions not sure of daily meals.
- He claimed Tinubu’s government manipulates GDP, inflation, and unemployment data to mislead citizens about worsening economic conditions.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the current state of the economy.
Obi, who served as the former governor of Anambra State, reacted to a previous comment made by Tinubu during the campaign season.
In a post on X on Monday, Obi revisited Tinubu’s remarks during a rally in Gbaramatu, Delta State, in 2022.
During that campaign, Tinubu, who was then the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, took a swipe at Obi’s reliance on economic data.
Tinubu had said, “Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians.”
It was the second time Tinubu publicly dismissed both the LP and PDP presidential candidates during his campaign trail.
At another rally in Plateau State, Tinubu described Atiku Abubakar as “wrong theory” and referred to Obi as “disobedient.”
“As I stand before you, there are a few of us left running. One says he is Atiku. How many times has he been running? He is always on the run and he is tired. Tell him to go and sit down. Enough is enough,” Tinubu had said.
“The other one thinks na statistics we go chop. He lies with arithmetic that no Indian can solve. To mention his name is a disgrace to me. I won’t mention the name. Wrong arithmetic, wrong statistics, warehouse economy — that is not what Nigeria needs.”
In his response, Obi said Tinubu had failed to fulfil his promise of addressing hunger and poverty in the country.
The LP flag bearer said, “In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta state, the then APC presidential candidate, now president, Bola Tinubu, mocked me for referencing data and statistics.”
“He said, ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians.’”
“Now, two years into his four-year tenure, Nigeria is ranked among the hungriest nations in the world, with millions unsure of their next meal.”
Obi also accused the Tinubu administration of manipulating data to conceal Nigeria’s deepening economic crisis.
He said, “President Tinubu is now overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics — from inaccurate unemployment data to false inflation rates and now GDP manipulation — all to paint a positive picture of worsening economic and household conditions.”
Obi argued that genuine leadership required sincerity and competence, not propaganda.
“Governance is not rocket science. It’s not a gamble,” Obi said.
“As I have always maintained, leadership must be driven by sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion.”
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