Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has openly accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of using misleading and false economic statistics to hide the reality of Nigeria’s worsening economy and growing hunger among the people. Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election, made the statement on Monday, July 29, through a post on his social media handle.
Obi reminded Nigerians of a comment made by Tinubu during the 2023 election campaigns, where the then-All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate mocked him for using data and figures to explain governance. According to Obi, the same Tinubu who downplayed the use of statistics is now relying on manipulated data to convince Nigerians that the economy is improving.
In Obi’s words: “In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta State, Tinubu said he was ashamed to call my name and mocked me, saying, ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians.’”
Obi noted that nearly two years into Tinubu’s four-year tenure as President, the country is now officially ranked among the hungriest nations in the world. He said millions of Nigerians are currently living in fear and uncertainty about where their next meal will come from, especially as inflation and food prices continue to rise.
Citing various economic indicators, Obi claimed that Tinubu’s government has been “overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics” on critical issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the recent GDP rebasing. He said the administration was using these “false numbers” to present a positive outlook of what is in reality a very tough and painful economic situation for ordinary citizens.
He argued that leadership should not be based on propaganda or media spin, but on truth and transparency. “Governance is not rocket science. It is not a gamble,” Obi stated. “It requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion. Without these values, no government can truly deliver development.”
The former governor also criticized what he described as the insensitivity of those in power to the hardship faced by Nigerians. He warned that the over-reliance on false economic narratives only worsens the people’s suffering, as policies are then based on inaccurate assumptions and not on the real needs of the population.
Economic analysts have recently raised concerns over Nigeria’s increasing food inflation, which stood at 40.66% as of May 2024, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Unemployment has also surged despite a controversial new methodology by the government which claims the rate is lower than previous years. The rebasing of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last month, which saw a significant jump in output value, has also come under criticism from opposition figures who say it does not reflect real economic progress on the ground.
The Labour Party and many of its supporters continue to insist that Obi’s approach to data and development is more honest and people-focused. While Obi did not suggest a specific alternative in his latest statement, his criticism points to a broader demand for evidence-based policy making and a leadership style rooted in empathy and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Information have not officially responded to Obi’s latest remarks. However, senior officials in Tinubu’s government have repeatedly defended their economic reforms, including the fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification, as necessary steps toward stabilizing the Nigerian economy in the long term.
Despite those reforms, many Nigerians continue to face hardship. Prices of essential goods like rice, garri, and cooking gas have more than doubled since May 2023. Transportation costs have also increased drastically, pushing many families below the poverty line.
As political conversations continue ahead of the 2027 general elections, observers say debates like this between Peter Obi and President Tinubu are expected to shape the national discourse around leadership, economic recovery, and public accountability.
