The Presidency has refuted claims suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to suspend Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
This follows earlier reports, including from SaharaReporters, that the Vice President, while speaking at the launch of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block”, authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), had subtly faulted the President’s action.
However, in a swift response on Friday, the Office of the Vice President, through a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, clarified that the Vice President’s comments were grossly taken out of context.
“The Office of the Vice President wishes to address and clarify recent misrepresentations regarding remarks made by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, during the public presentation of the book… at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, July 10, 2025,” the statement read.
Nkwocha pointed out that certain online platforms and individuals had twisted Shettima’s reference to his tenure as Governor of Borno State during the peak of insurgency and the federal government’s consideration of his removal, falsely linking those remarks to the political crisis currently rocking Rivers State.
“This misrepresentation is misleading and ignores the clear constitutional and contextual differences between the two situations,” the statement emphasized.
According to Nkwocha, the Vice President was merely commending Adoke’s professionalism while he held the office of Attorney General, not engaging in commentary on contemporary political matters.
“Vice President Shettima’s remarks were made in the context of recognising the professional conduct of the book’s author… His references to past events were intended to highlight Nigeria’s constitutional evolution and the legal frameworks used to manage complex federal-state relations, not to comment on ongoing political matters,” he said.
Addressing the Rivers State situation directly, the Presidency reiterated that Governor Fubara was not removed from office. Instead, the President acted under constitutional authority in response to what it described as a “grave political crisis.”
“To clarify, President Bola Tinubu did not remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office,” the statement explained. “Rather, in response to a grave political crisis—including the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly and threats of impeachment—the President constitutionally suspended Governor Fubara under Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution.”
Nkwocha said this action was backed by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly and was aimed at restoring peace and effective governance in the state.
“The crisis in Rivers State is fundamentally different from the insurgency challenges faced in the North East under the Jonathan administration,” the statement said. “While the latter involved violent non-state actors threatening national sovereignty, the former was a political and security crisis requiring constitutional intervention to uphold democratic institutions.”
The statement concluded by urging media outlets and political commentators to avoid conflating suspension with removal and to refrain from distorting public officials’ remarks.
“We emphasise that conflating suspension with removal is inaccurate and misleading,” Nkwocha stated. “Vice President Shettima’s comments were not directed at current events but were historical reflections underscoring accountability and principled public service.”
The Presidency called on all media and political actors to be more responsible in interpreting and reporting statements made by public officials, warning against the creation of false narratives or unnecessary political conflict.