The Vice President’s office stressed that Shettima’s comments were illustrative and not intended as a commentary on current government actions.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The presidency has strongly denied reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima made critical remarks about the recent political crisis in Rivers State or President Bola Tinubu’s role in the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In a statement issued Friday, July 11, 2025, by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on MMediaand Communications (Office of the Vice President), the presidency described the reports as “gross misrepresentation” of Shettima’s comments during the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” written by former Attorney-General Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) in Abuja on July 10.
According to the statement, some media outlets had “irresponsibly twisted” the Vice President’s reference to an alleged plan by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to remove him from office during his time as Governor of Borno State, falsely linking it to President Tinubu’s recent suspension of Governor Fubara and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Vice President Shettima’s comments were made within the specific context of acknowledging the author’s past professional conduct during his tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation,” the statement read. “His remarks were historical references to events that occurred during the Jonathan administration, and constituted nothing more than an intellectual discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution.”
The Vice President’s office stressed that Shettima’s comments were illustrative and not intended as a commentary on current government actions.
“It is highly mendacious to interpret Senator Shettima’s observations as commentary on current affairs. The Vice President’s speech focused on the importance of public officials documenting their stewardship and the eternal nature of accountability in public service,” it stated.
The presidency further clarified that President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office, as some reports claimed.
“The constitutional action taken was suspension, and not outright removal,” the statement noted. “It was part of the measures implemented, including the state of emergency declared, in response to the grave circumstances surrounding the polity in Rivers State at the time.”
The statement highlighted that Rivers State had experienced a constitutional breakdown necessitating federal intervention under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.
“With daily incidents of politically motivated violence, systematic attacks on federal institutions, and complete paralysis of governance, the situation in Rivers met the constitutional threshold for extraordinary measures,” it said.
It added that the President’s declaration of a state of emergency followed due process and was ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly.
The presidency urged media organisations and political actors to refrain from taking comments out of context to sow division within the government.
“This cynical attempt to distort academic commentary to appear as imagined criticism is not only deplorable but constitutes a reckless endangerment of our national cohesion,” the statement said.
“Vice President Shettima stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu in implementing these difficult but indispensable actions to safeguard our democracy.”
The statement concluded with a firm appeal for responsible journalism and reiterated the administration’s unwavering commitment to constitutional order and the rule of law.