The Presidency has dismissed reports claiming that Vice President Kashim Shettima subtly criticised President Bola Tinubu over the suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
In a statement issued on Friday by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the Presidency dismissed the claims as a “misrepresentation” of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks.
The clarification follows Shettima’s speech at the launch of a book authored by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), titled “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block”, held on Thursday at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Some online platforms had reported that Shettima’s comments at the event were a subtle criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the political crisis in Rivers State, particularly regarding the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. However, the Presidency firmly rejected this interpretation, stressing that the Vice President’s remarks were taken out of context.
The Presidency has dismissed claims linking Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent remarks to the political crisis in Rivers State, describing such interpretations as false and misleading.
In a statement released by the Office of the Vice President, it clarified that Shettima’s comments—referencing the Jonathan administration’s consideration of his removal as Borno State Governor during the Boko Haram insurgency—were not connected to current events in Rivers State.
“Certain online platforms and individuals have distorted the Vice President’s comments, falsely linking his historical references about the Jonathan administration’s consideration of his removal as Governor of Borno State during the insurgency to the current political developments in Rivers State,” the statement read in part.
The Presidency emphasized that Shettima’s remarks were taken out of context and were intended to illustrate Nigeria’s constitutional development and to commend the professionalism of the book’s author—whose work the Vice President was addressing.
Addressing the Rivers crisis directly, the statement stated:
“To clarify, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office. 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.
”The Presidency explained that Tinubu’s action was backed by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly and was aimed at restoring peace and ensuring effective governance in the state.
Furthermore, the statement highlighted the difference between the Boko Haram insurgency under Jonathan—which posed a violent threat to national sovereignty—and the Rivers crisis, which required constitutional intervention due to political instability.
“We emphasize that conflating suspension with removal is inaccurate and misleading,” it added, stressing that Shettima’s remarks were reflections on past governance experiences and legal mechanisms, not commentary on the current Rivers situation.
The Vice President, the statement concluded, stands fully behind President Tinubu’s constitutional decisions and called on political actors and media outlets to refrain from misrepresenting public statements to stoke tension or mislead citizens.
