Vice President Kashim Shettima has taken another swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, making a pointed reference to “young Moroccan wives” while defending President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.
Although Shettima did not mention Atiku by name, his remark about critics of the administration writing about Nigeria’s economic woes from Dubai, New York or being married to young Moroccan women has fuelled speculation that the ADC presidential candidate was his target.
Atiku is known to travel between Nigeria and Dubai, where he has spent time outside the country. The reference to Morocco and a young Moroccan wife also appeared to point towards the former vice president, although Shettima did not explicitly identify the person he had in mind.
The latest remark comes amid a series of recent verbal attacks by Shettima on Atiku as the two camps prepare for the 2027 presidential election.
On October 14, at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima openly criticised Atiku over his repeated presidential bids, economic proposals and comments about Tinubu.
The Vice President said Atiku, who has contested the presidency several times, was “no Abraham Lincoln”, comparing his political journey to that of the late Kenyan opposition figure Oginga Odinga, whose son, Raila Odinga, also made repeated unsuccessful bids for Kenya’s presidency.
Shettima also took issue with Atiku’s references to Tinubu by his first name, insisting that the President deserved respect because of the office he occupies.
“You can call him Bola. If you like, you can call him Adekunle. But the truth is that he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Shettima said.
He further questioned Atiku’s economic credentials and mocked what he described as a shift in the former vice president’s ideological position over his proposal for production subsidies.
“A change in ideological wardrobe cannot balance a national budget,” the Vice President said in a pointed criticism of Atiku’s economic proposals.
The APC campaign council inauguration also saw Shettima attack former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over his economic prescriptions, describing him as a master of “bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”.
The renewed exchanges suggest that the ruling party is preparing to confront its leading opposition figures directly on the economy and their suitability to lead the country.
In the latest instance, Shettima defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that Nigeria could have suffered a complete economic collapse had the President failed to take what he described as far-reaching decisions.
“The same people that are crying wolf, if the President had not taken those far-reaching decisions, Walahi, I am not talking to you as a politician. I am talking to you as a Nigerian; our economy would have collapsed,” he said.
He continued: “These people, by now, would be writing epistles on a collapsed economy from the comfort of their homes in Dubai, in New York, or in marriage with their young Moroccan wives. I have not mentioned anybody’s name.”
The pointed reference to Morocco, coupled with the mention of Dubai and New York, has raised the possibility that Shettima was directing his remarks at Atiku, who is now the ADC’s standard-bearer for the 2027 election.
However, the Vice President did not expressly identify the person he was referring to, leaving the identity of his unnamed target open to interpretation.
Shettima maintained that Tinubu deserved commendation rather than condemnation, despite the hardship Nigerians have experienced since the introduction of the administration’s economic reforms.
He cited economic growth of 4.43 per cent in the last quarter and foreign reserves hovering around $60bn as evidence that the economy was recovering.
“Remember how far we have come. It’s only those who have been in the deepest valley that will appreciate how magnificent it is to be on a mountain top,” he said.
The Vice President acknowledged that Nigerians had endured difficult times but insisted that the situation could have been worse without the President’s decisions.
He also promised that the government would introduce measures to address agricultural challenges and reduce food prices, while urging young Nigerians to take the administration’s message to the streets.
With Tinubu seeking re-election and Atiku emerging as the ADC’s presidential candidate, Shettima’s repeated criticisms of the former vice president point to an increasingly combative political contest ahead of the 2027 polls.
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