Shettima calls Obi a 'clout chaser' over the Flamingos — and says importing cheap wine doesn’t make an economist

Photo: Vice-President Kashim Shettima · Source: The News Room (March 2026 file photo)

Vice-President Kashim Shettima used the APC rally in Akure to accuse Peter Obi of 'clout chasing' over the Flamingos — and questioned his economics.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has accused Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, of “clout chasing” for going “out of protocol” to welcome the Flamingos at Abuja airport on Monday after the NFF denied him access. He spoke at the APC presidential campaign rally in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday, representing President Bola Tinubu.

“It is cheap to vie for the presidency of Nigeria, especially for those like my big friend Peter Obi, who think clout chasing like he went out of protocol to welcome our young victorious Flamingos,” he said. He questioned Obi’s economic credentials — “the ability to import cheap South African wines doesn’t make one a guru in economics” — and called Obi’s eight-year record as Anambra governor “at best mediocre”.

Shettima also said Atiku cannot win Adamawa, set a target of at least 1.2 million votes for the APC in Ondo out of 2.1 million registered voters (1.8 million with PVCs), and claimed a “universal elite consensus” behind Tinubu in the state, citing former governor Olusegun Mimiko among others. Premium Times reports the presidential election is scheduled for 16 January 2027.

Obi has not yet responded to the “clout chaser” attack. The airport row itself remains disputed: Obi says NFF officials stopped him greeting the team, saying they would lose their jobs; the NSC says the request was not arranged in advance. The NFF has still not commented. The Flamingos row has now become a campaign weapon — the third front of the Wike–Obi fight running alongside the ₦10m row and the reception itself.

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