July 11, (THEWILL) — The Presidency has dismissed some media reports linking Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks at a book launch in Abuja to recent declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, in which President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officials, including members of the State House of Assembly.
Recounting his ordeal under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan at the public presentation of a book titled “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigeria Oil Block, authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Shettima had said that for the intervention of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Mohammed Adoke, attorney General of the Federation and former Minister of Justice he would have been sacked as governor of Borno State by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I was the public enemy number one. There are two gentlemen seated here. Certain decisions are taken in a very rarefied circle. The President, the Vice President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In one of such conclaves, former President Goodluck Jonathan with whom we have sheath the sword and have now recalibrated our relationship was mooting the idea of removing this Borno governor. Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives had the courage to tell the President that your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor. The President was still not convinced, he mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council. He (Mr Adoke) told the then President that Mr President you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor not even a councillor. They sought for the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who said I’m concurring with the opinion of my senior colleague. That was how the matter was laid to rest but that was how my relationship with Mr Adoke and Aminu Tambuwal became eternally sealed”, he said on Thursday.
In a statement on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, described the media interpretations of Shettima’s remarks as “gross misrepresentation” and “reckless endangerment of national cohesion.”
According to Nkwocha, the Vice President referenced a historical episode during the Jonathan administration when there were alleged moves to remove him as Governor of Borno State at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency.
He clarified that Shettima’s remarks were in the context of acknowledging Adoke’s role as a public official and did not amount to commentary on current political events in Rivers State.
THEWILL observed that some media reports had interpreted Shettima’s account as a veiled criticism of Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the suspension of Governor Fubara.
Nkwocha said such a comparison was unfounded and misleading, stating that the President did not remove Fubara from office.
He also defended the legality of President Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers State, noting that it was done in accordance with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution following security threats and political instability in the state.
“President Tinubu followed the constitutional process with honest precision. The President’s proclamation properly invoked Section 305(2), which was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly”, he stated.
He urged the media and political actors to avoid politicising Shettima’s speech or fabricating conflict within the administration.
Titled, ‘No Link Between VP Shettima’s Remarks At Book Launch And Certain Online Reports’, the statement read: “The Office of the Vice President has noted with serious concern the gross misrepresentation of remarks made by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima @officialSKSM, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, during the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” by Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
“Certain online news outlets and individuals have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda, twisting his account of how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan considered removing him from office—then as Governor of Borno State—at the height of the insurgency in the North East region.
“This sensational reporting, which strips the Vice President’s remarks of their proper context, ventures into fiction by drawing false equivalence between his personal experience and the state of emergency declared in Rivers State, as well as the subsequent suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We wish to state categorically that Vice President Shettima’s comments were made within the context of acknowledging the author’s professional conduct during his tenure as Attorney General of the Federation—a tribute to his public service record. His remarks were historical references to events during the Jonathan administration and were intended as a discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution. They served to highlight how complex federal-state tensions have been managed through legal mechanisms and the country’s progress in that regard.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal. This action, along with the declaration of a state of emergency, was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time. The situation was unprecedented, with the State House of Assembly complex under demolition and the Governor facing a looming threat of impeachment by aggrieved members of the legislature. No objective observer can deny that this decisive intervention by the President brought stability and calm to Rivers State.
“This situation is not comparable to that of the North East under the Jonathan administration, where violent non-state actors were directly challenging the sovereignty of the Nigerian state, demanding unified action by both federal and state authorities to confront terrorism. In contrast, President Tinubu actedg strictly within constitutional limits and in consultation with relevant stakeholders to preserve democratic institutions and restore order in Rivers State.
“Nigeria’s laws provide a clear framework for addressing such matters. Section 305(3)(c) of the Constitution authorises extraordinary measures when there is “a breakdown of public order and public safety in the federation or any part thereof to such extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security.”
“The situation in Rivers State clearly met this constitutional threshold, with persistent politically motivated violence, systematic attacks on federal institutions, and near-complete paralysis of governance—conditions intolerable in any democratic society. According to credible security reports, these acts even escalated into attacks on national assets.
“President Tinubu acted with constitutional fidelity. His proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, as required by Section 305(3).
“This cross-party consensus in suspending the government of Rivers State, led by Sim Fubara, reflects a shared understanding among our elected representatives that the situation had reached a point of constitutional necessity, requiring immediate federal intervention.
“Clearly, without mincing words, the action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the Governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading. Therefore, interpreting Senator Shettima’s remarks as commentary on current events is either a wilful misrepresentation or a deliberate neglect of constitutional context.
“The Vice President, speaking extemporaneously, focused on the importance of public officials documenting their stewardship and on the enduring principle of accountability in public service. His historical references were made to illustrate the principled stands taken by past public servants, as well as his personal ties to Mohammed Bello Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation.
“Vice President Shettima stands in loyal concert with President Tinubu in implementing these difficult but necessary actions to safeguard our democracy. We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
