The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has fiercely defended the party’s presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, following recent critical remarks made by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Speaking during a political event at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima had previously labeled Obi as a “master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions,” specifically poking fun at Obi’s international policy comparisons—such as likening Nigeria’s economic challenges to Bangladesh—by using a tailoring analogy to argue that policies fit for smaller economies would not suit Nigeria’s massive framework.

Reacting during a television interview on Thursday, Kwankwaso dismissed Shettima’s criticisms as politically motivated posturing, noting that such counterattacks from political opponents are entirely expected. The former Kano State governor affirmed that he consistently listens to Obi and takes time to verify his economic assertions.

According to Kwankwaso, an objective examination of the figures revealed that the vast majority of the data and statistics cited by Obi were accurate. While acknowledging that minor verbal slips can happen to any human speaker, Kwankwaso strongly rejected the narrative that Obi relies on fabricated or bogus figures.

Furthermore, Kwankwaso praised Obi’s extensive mastery of international and domestic development metrics, describing such deep familiarity with global economic trends as a tremendous asset for any serious presidential contender.

He reiterated that his decision to team up with Obi under the NDC banner stems from a shared strategic vision for Nigeria, bringing together influential leaders from both the North and the South to rescue the country’s economy and ensure a successful political coalition for the upcoming elections.