Obi Accuses Tinubu of Using ‘Wrong Statistics’ to Cover Economic Hardship

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of masking Nigeria’s economic decay with manipulated statistics rather than delivering real solutions to hunger and poverty.

Obi’s criticism comes nearly two years after Tinubu, then the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), mocked Obi’s emphasis on economic data during a campaign in Delta State. “Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians,” Tinubu had said, refusing to mention Obi by name.

However, fast forward to mid-2025, and Nigeria now ranks among the hungriest nations globally, with millions uncertain about their next meal. Despite worsening living conditions, President Tinubu’s administration continues to release economic data suggesting progress—statistics Obi describes as “wrong unemployment figures, wrong inflation figures, and now GDP rebasing,” aimed at painting a false picture of national wellbeing.

“President Tinubu is now overfeeding Nigerians with wrong Statistics,” Obi said, pointing out the disconnect between government data and everyday realities faced by ordinary Nigerians.

He emphasised that governance is not a matter of luck or spin but of genuine leadership. “Governance is not rocket science, it’s not a gamble, like I have always reiterated, it requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity and compassion,” Obi stated.

With Nigeria’s economic indicators worsening and household incomes shrinking, Obi’s remarks reignite the debate over data integrity, governance style, and the disconnect between policy claims and lived experience.