Our Reporter
In a sharp political rebuke, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of distorting data on economic realities to mask the growing hardship under his administration. Obi said the Tinubu-led government is “overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics” while millions go hungry.
Posting on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, Obi revisited a key moment from the 2023 presidential campaign, referencing a jibe Tinubu had made in Delta State during a campaign rally. At the time, the then-All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate had mocked Obi’s emphasis on facts and figures.
“In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta State, the then APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu, now the President, berated the other Presidential Candidate, he was ashamed to call his name, saying ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians,’” Obi wrote.
“Now, two years into his 4-year tenure, Nigeria is classified as one of the hungriest nations in the world with millions of Nigerians not knowing where their next meal will come from,” he added.
Political Reckoning Amid Economic Strain
Obi’s statement reflects growing public disillusionment with the Tinubu administration’s handling of inflation, unemployment, and currency instability. The Labour Party flagbearer accused the government of deliberately manipulating data to create an illusion of progress where none exists.
“President Tinubu is now overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics — from wrong unemployment figures, wrong inflation figures, and now GDP debasing — all to put a positive spin on our deteriorating economic and household conditions,” Obi asserted.
Obi’s remarks come amid heightened criticism of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), whose recent data releases have been called into question by independent economists and opposition voices alike.
The ‘Data vs. Delivery’ Debate Resurfaces
The war of narratives between both camps harks back to a defining difference in the 2023 elections: Obi’s campaign was rooted in technocratic precision, often cited for its data-driven policy approach, while Tinubu’s populist messaging focused on “practical delivery” and immediate relief.
Now, with inflation climbing, food prices soaring, and unemployment biting harder despite official claims to the contrary, Obi is using Tinubu’s own campaign rhetoric against him.
“Governance is not a rock science, it’s not a gamble,” Obi wrote. “Like I have always reiterated, it requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity and compassion.”
Opposition Mobilising?
While Obi remains a prominent opposition voice, this latest statement may also signal early positioning ahead of 2027. As the economic toll continues to mount and discontent grows in both urban and rural areas, the Labour Party and its allies are increasingly framing Tinubu’s policies as not only ineffective but dishonest.
Political analysts suggest that such frontal attacks from Obi — who has maintained a relatively reserved posture since the elections — could signal a coordinated strategy to reclaim the narrative in the public space, particularly as economic indicators continue to worsen.
For now, the presidency has not officially responded to Obi’s comments. As Nigeria’s economic future hangs in the balance, the battle between political storytelling and lived reality grows ever sharper.