Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for allegedly misleading Nigerians with manipulated economic statistics while millions struggle with hunger and poverty.

Obi, in a post on his X account on Monday, referenced a remark made by Tinubu during the 2022 presidential campaign in Delta State, where the then-candidate mocked him for focusing on data. Tinubu had said, “Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians,” while refusing to mention Obi’s name directly.

After two years into the Tinubu administration, Obi said the president has failed on that promise, arguing that Nigeria has instead slipped further into economic hardship.

“Now two years into his four-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,” Obi said.

He accused the government of using distorted data to paint a false picture of economic progress. “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 stated.

Reaffirming his position on what leadership should entail, Obi added, “Governance is not a rocket science, it’s not a gamble. Like I have always reiterated, it requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion.”

Obi’s latest criticism comes amid growing concerns over data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, which some have argued that it’s politically influenced. (BusinessDay)