Obi Media Office Attacks Shettima Over 'Diminished' Jab at NDC Candidate

Spokesman Idris Zekeri Jnr released a statement Sunday in which the Peter Obi Media Office strongly objected to Vice President Kashim Shettima's public characterization of the NDC's presidential candidate as 'diminished'. The media office deemed such language unbecoming of officials holding high government rank, notably given that political parties are now positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential race.

At the heart of Obi's camp's objection lies an apparent double standard in how Shettima treats his political opponents. According to the statement, Shettima has urged Northern leaders to extend respect to Atiku Abubakar, an opposition figure from the north, yet he deployed derogatory language directed at Obi.

The media office questioned this inconsistency: why demand courtesy toward one rival while disregarding another? Obi's team insisted that election campaigns should emphasize substantive policy matters, governing accomplishments and concrete proposals rather than personal insults.

They urged national figures to assess aspirants by examining their records, their policy agendas and their experience managing public affairs. Such evidence-based evaluation, the statement suggested, should supplant heated personal invective during electoral contests.

The statement also included an implicit message to South-East political figures, pointing them toward the expectations Shettima articulated regarding treatment of opposition leaders. The intent appeared designed to encourage regional politicians to hold themselves to comparable benchmarks when discussing Obi.

During a campaign office launch in Abuja, Shettima made the 'diminished' remark while promoting the APC's organizational structures.