The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comments at a recent book launch were aimed at President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the political crisis in Rivers State, particularly the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In a statement released on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, described the interpretation of Shettima’s remarks as a “gross misrepresentation” and “reckless endangerment of national cohesion.”
The Vice President had made the remarks on Thursday at the public presentation of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block, authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
Nkwocha clarified that Shettima was reflecting on his tenure as Governor of Borno State during the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the reported attempts to remove him amid the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Some news outlets have irresponsibly twisted the Vice President’s account of how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan floated the idea of removing him from office… during the most intense and critical phase of insurgency in the North East,” Nkwocha said.
Certain media platforms had interpreted the Vice President’s reflection as a veiled jab at President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State — a move that led to Governor Fubara’s suspension.
However, Nkwocha firmly denied any such link, stating, “President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional action taken was suspension, and not outright removal.
“It was part of the measures implemented… in response to the grave circumstances surrounding the polity in Rivers State at the time,” he explained.
Nkwocha emphasized that Shettima’s speech was a historical reflection and a tribute to Adoke’s career, not a commentary on current political dynamics. “His remarks were historical references… and constituted nothing more than an intellectual discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution,” he said.
Defending the legality of the President’s actions, Nkwocha said Tinubu’s intervention followed due constitutional process under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution due to security concerns and political instability in Rivers.
“President Tinubu followed the constitutional process with honest precision. The President’s proclamation properly invoked Section 305(2), which was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly,” he stated.
He called on the media and political commentators to refrain from misinterpreting or politicising Shettima’s remarks, urging for responsible reporting.
“Vice President Shettima stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu in implementing these difficult but indispensable actions to safeguard our democracy,” Nkwocha added.
