Shettima’s comment on Jonathan unconnected to Tinubu’s action in Rivers, says presidency

The presidency says comments by Kashim Shettima, the vice-president, at a book launch in Abuja are not connected to the political crisis in Rivers state.

A statement on Friday by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) said Shettima’s comments were strictly historical and bore no reference to President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in the oil-rich state.

The clarification follows media reports suggesting that Shettima’s recollection of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged attempt to remove him as governor of Borno State during the Boko Haram insurgency was a veiled critique of Tinubu’s decision to suspend Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state.

Shettima had spoken on Thursday during the public presentation of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block, a memoir authored by Mohammed Bello Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice.

In his remarks, the vice-president praised Adoke’s public service and narrated how, during the Jonathan administration, there were high-level discussions about his removal as governor due to the security situation in Borno state.

Shettima commended the courage of Aminu Tambuwal, then-speaker of the house of representatives, who reportedly told Jonathan that he lacked the constitutional authority to remove an elected official.

Neokocha described as “a gross misrepresentation” any attempt to tie Shettima’s comments to Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers situation.

“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.

“Such commentary amounts to a reckless endangerment of national cohesion and a deliberate misreading of the vice-president’s message. His remarks were purely historical references made to acknowledge the courage and professionalism of Mohammed Adoke.”

Nkwocha noted that Tinubu did not remove Fubara from office, stating that the measure undertaken in Rivers was a suspension — not an outright removal — aimed at restoring order in a volatile political environment.

“President Tinubu followed the constitutional process with honest precision. The president’s proclamation properly invoked Section 305(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly,” Nkwocha said.

He noted that it was “misleading” to interpret Shettima’s remarks as an indirect swipe at Tinubu’s use of emergency powers, especially as the vice-president was engaged in an “intellectual discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution and the challenges of democratic governance”.

“Vice-President Shettima remains firmly aligned with the administration’s goals and has consistently demonstrated his commitment to national stability, constitutional order, and responsible leadership,” the statement added.

“Vice-President Shettima’s comments were made in good faith and should be appreciated in the proper historical context in which they were delivered. It is dangerous to politicise such statements, especially at a time when unity and clear-headedness are most needed.”

Nkwocha reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to democratic principles, rule of law, and the balanced use of constitutional powers in responding to crises at both federal and state levels.