Kwankwaso defends Obi's command of data, says Nigeria Democratic Congress may restore fuel subsidy

ABUJA, Oct 16 – Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Nigeria Democratic Congress's vice-presidential candidate, has rejected Vice President Kashim Shettima's description of Peter Obi as "the master of bogus statistics." He also said an Obi government could bring back fuel subsidy support to bring down energy costs.

Shettima made the remark on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, Channels Television reported. Kwankwaso responded on the station's Politics Today programme on Thursday. [channelstv](https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/15/obi-is-conversant-with-data-kwankwaso-faults-shettimas-bogus-statistics-comment/)

"I always listen to him (Peter Obi), like all others, I take time to check the statistics. As far as I am concerned, most of the figures he was saying were correct," Kwankwaso said, according to Channels. He added that people can make "a slip of tongue." [channelstv](https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/15/obi-is-conversant-with-data-kwankwaso-faults-shettimas-bogus-statistics-comment/)

"I am happy that our presidential candidate is somebody who is conversant with statistics, not only in this country but all over the world, in Europe, Asia, everywhere," the former Kano governor said.

On the economy, Kwankwaso said the party had reviewed what followed the removal of petrol subsidy in May 2023, Arise News reported. "Our collective position now is that the price of energy in this country is too high, and our position is that we are going to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the burden is reduced, including the subsidy and so on and so forth," he said. [arise](https://www.arise.tv/kwankwaso-says-ndc-may-reinstate-fuel-subsidy-unveils-plans-to-tackle-insecurity/)

He spoke about his security record in Kano, saying the police, the State Security Service and the military "were all working together as a family." He also explained why he agreed to be Obi's running mate: "Our vision for the country was similar, and it was very easy for us to come and say, 'Okay, let's work together as leaders from the South and the North.'"

Kwankwaso also said President Bola Tinubu had been "having sleepless nights" over Obi's popularity. "Peter Obi is popular in the South, and we are mobilising our people in the North," he said, Naija News reported. [naijanews](https://www.naijanews.com/2026/10/16/tinubu-has-been-having-sleepless-nights-kwankwaso/)

In Kano on Friday, hundreds of Kwankwasiyya Movement supporters marched to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They were protesting the omission of the party's governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from the commission's final list. The march was led by deputy governorship candidate Mustapha Kwankwaso, Naija News reported. [naijanews](https://www.naijanews.com/2026/10/16/kwankwaso-leads-kwankwasiyya-supporters-in-kano-protest/)

INEC's Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Abdu Zango, said the petition would go to the commission's national headquarters. He noted that "there is a window of appeal that has been provided up to the 24th of October," and added: "As far as we are concerned in Kano here, we are very neutral."

The party's critics kept up their attacks. Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike questioned the sincerity of Obi's visits to camps for displaced people. "Politicians can tell lies," Wike said, as Vanguard reported. After visiting the Ramin Kura camp in Sokoto in late September, Obi wrote on X that "as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced". [vanguardngr](https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/10/wike-questions-obis-humility-over-idp-camp-visits/)

Social Democratic Party (SDP). Adewole Adebayo promised to overhaul Nigeria's criminal justice system. He said it lets "rich criminals and corrupt public officials" escape while the poor are jailed for petty theft. "We cannot have a criminal justice system run by criminals," he said in an address delivered for him at a Committee for the Defence of Human Rights lecture in Lagos on Thursday, Vanguard reported. [vanguardngr](https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/10/we-cant-have-criminal-justice-system-run-by-criminals-adebayo/)

African Action Congress (AAC). The AAC said the area around the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Ministry of Justice would be official campaign venues for its candidate, Omoyele Sowore, during October. The party says he is being forced to spend his campaign time fighting a lawsuit brought by the head of the Department of State Services, AIT reported. It called on supporters to gather at the court on Monday, Oct. 19, for his next appearance. [ait](https://ait.live/aac-takes-campaign-to-court-as-sowore-battles-dss-instead-of-rivals/)