Tinubu lacks capacity to grasp statistics – Obi-Datti team

The Labour Party has risen in defence of its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi’s use of statistics in his campaign and lambasted his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over his condemnation of the practice.

Tinubu recently carpeted Obi for using what he called ‘wrong statistics’ saying that the nation did not that at the moment.

Reacting to this in a statement, the media team of the Obi-Datti media office said Tinubu apparently dreaded facts and figures used by opponents in place of mere rhetoric.

It recalled Tinubu had said at a rally of rented crowds in Gbaramatu, Delta State, that Peter Obi of the Labour Party lied with figures, stressing that “a speech-challenged contestant, who cannot pronounce or spell ‘m.u.l.t.i.p.l.i.c.a.t.i.o.n’ and wants to argue about numbers, arithmetic, and statistics says a lot about how low we have climbed in this country.”

The campaign team further stated the LP candidate was brimming with practicable ideas and was demystifying electioneering rhetoric by employing simple facts and figures in his campaigns.

“Providing the numbers shows Peter Obi’s preparedness for the high office of the president if and when hired by Nigerian voters come 2023,” the media office said.

The Obi-Datti Media Office said it was aware of the inability of some candidates in the presidential race to cope with Peter Obi’s speed and deep knowledge of issues; saying, “this has resulted in a grand design to distract his focus from the issue-driven campaigns, which are resonating very well with Nigerians, who are ready and committed to taking back their country from forces that have held it down over the years.”

On the use of figures to convey facts, the LP statement added that it was risky to dine with the devil without the proverbial long spoon or to run with the robber and confuse passers-by about the identity of the real thief.

“Our candidate has said repeatedly that his assertions were verifiable and dared anybody with contrary facts and figures to come up.

”Analysts, media houses, and opponents have formed fact-checking units in their organisations ostensibly to contradict Peter Obi’s facts and figures, but, they are yet to succeed,” the media team said.

It cited a recent Arise TV town hall meeting in Abuja where a team of fact-checkers was raised to hook Obi, but noted that they ended up apologising to him.

It said, “The acceptable mantra is always if you can’t beat them, join them, but in Nigerian politics the reverse is the case: if you can’t beat them pull them down. That is what Obi’s opponents, who cannot cope with his deep know-how about the economy are doing.

“We find it extremely laughable and shameful that a candidate who is aspiring to lead his country has not been able to present any identifiable record of his origin, age, and educational background and he is challenging the man who is indisputably equipped with the way to go about salvaging our dear country.

“The fact that the APC man has questionable bio-data has left the electorate guessing his real age and health status.”