Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of misrepresenting economic data to disguise the true state of hardship being faced by Nigerians.
In a statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Obi criticized the Tinubu-led administration for what he described as the misuse of statistics to create a false sense of progress, despite increasing hunger and hardship in the country.
He recalled a remark made by then-presidential candidate Tinubu during the 2022 campaign in Delta State, where Tinubu reportedly dismissed the use of data in governance.
“In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta State, the then APC Presidential Candidate mocked another candidate—whom he didn’t name—saying, ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians,’” Obi stated.
“Today, two years into his tenure, Nigeria ranks among the hungriest nations globally, with millions of citizens unsure of their next meal,” Obi said, referencing global hunger reports.
He further alleged that the government is “overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics” ranging from inaccurate unemployment and inflation figures to questionable GDP data.
According to Obi, this strategy is being used to “paint a positive picture of worsening economic and household realities.”
Reaffirming his stance on the requirements for good governance, Obi said: “Governance is not rocket science. It is not a gamble. It requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion.”
