Video: Peter Obi has lost public goodwill — Shettima

Abdullateef Fowewe

Vice President Kashim Shettima has criticised opposition figure Peter Obi, saying the former Anambra State governor has lost much of the public goodwill he once enjoyed and that his speeches now generate suspicion rather than excitement.

Speaking on Friday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Shettima remarked that Obi “has clearly messed up and squandered away his goodwill” and “no longer excites when he speaks these days. He draws suspicions, too bad for him.”

Shettima also referenced Obi’s recent activities, noting, “I hear that my friend, Peter Obi, is back in the country after his outing at Harvard. He may have returned to Abuja with renewed enthusiasm, but clearly, this gentleman has exhausted much of the goodwill he once enjoyed through his questionable claims and bogus statistics.”

The remarks came during a high-profile visit by President Bola Tinubu and Shettima to Akwa Ibom.

The itinerary included the commissioning of several projects executed by Governor Umo Eno’s administration—among them facilities at Victor Attah International Airport new international terminal, airport hospital and Ibom Aviation Village, roads, and other infrastructure alongside the APC presidential rally as the ruling party intensifies its 2027 re-election campaign.

The event forms part of Tinubu’s broader South-South outreach.

Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, who has aligned with the APC, declared a work-free day to facilitate the activities.

The president is scheduled to proceed to Rivers State for another campaign stop.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate who built a strong following especially among younger voters often called “Obidients” remains a prominent opposition voice ahead of the 2027 elections.

He has been associated with platforms including the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the current cycle.

The Tinubu-Shettima administration and APC figures have repeatedly challenged his economic arguments and statistical comparisons in recent weeks, while Obi and his supporters continue to criticise the government’s performance on the economy, security and governance.