The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were aimed at current developments in Rivers State involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued Friday, Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), described such interpretations as “gross misrepresentation” and “a reckless endangerment of national cohesion.”
Vice President Shettima had spoken Thursday at the launch of “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block”—a book authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN—at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
According to Nkwocha, Shettima merely referenced a past episode during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, when there were alleged attempts to remove him as Governor of Borno State at the peak of the Boko Haram crisis. He emphasized that the Vice President’s remarks were historical and intended to highlight Adoke’s role during that period—not to comment on present-day politics.
“Unfortunately, some news outlets have twisted the Vice President’s recollection into a false narrative, suggesting it was a veiled criticism of the President’s actions in Rivers State,” Nkwocha said. “This is not only misleading but also dangerously inflammatory.”
He clarified that Shettima’s remarks were part of an intellectual discussion on constitutional governance and the evolution of Nigeria’s democracy.
“This was a moment of thoughtful retrospection, meant to illustrate how our constitutional democracy has adapted to resolve complex federal-state tensions through legal and institutional channels,” the statement added.
Some media reports had speculated that Shettima was indirectly criticizing President Tinubu over the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Fubara.
Nkwocha firmly rejected this claim.
“For the record, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office,” he said. “What occurred was a constitutionally guided suspension, in response to the serious political crisis and security threats at the time—including the partial demolition of the State House of Assembly and the Governor’s risk of impeachment.”
He noted that President Tinubu’s actions were taken under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution and ratified by the National Assembly with broad bipartisan support.
“President Tinubu acted with full constitutional backing. His response to the Rivers crisis was both lawful and necessary to preserve democratic order,” Nkwocha stated.
The Presidency urged the media and political stakeholders to avoid sensationalism and respect the integrity of national institutions.
“Vice President Shettima fully supports President Tinubu and the administration’s efforts to stabilize the nation during challenging times,” Nkwocha concluded.
