July 14, (THEWILL) — Several days after the Presidency dismissed some media reports linking Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks at a book launch held in Abuja to the recent declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, in which President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and lawmakers, analysts are yet to heed the counsel to lay the matter to rest.
Recounting his ordeal under the Goodluck Jonathan Administration 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 and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Shettima had said that for the intervention of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Adoke, 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 sheathed the sword and have now recalibrated our relationship was mooting the idea of removing this Borno governor,” VP Shettima said, adding, “Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives had the courage to tell the President that he did not 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 he lacked 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 he concurred with the opinion of his 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.”
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 tenure of the Jonathan-led government 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 and lawmakers.
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.
“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 acted 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.
Still, analysts are insisting that there is more to the VP’s statement than meets the eye. Considering media reports on his likely substitution as President Tinubu’s running mate in 2027 and the fiasco that attended the recent North-East delegates summit in Gombe where protests erupted over the insistence that the VP must be endorsed alongside President Tinubu for the 2027 polls, analysts and politicians alike are divided over the matter.
A psychologist and lawyer, John Oshodi, said that in the grand theatre of political power, rare are the moments when a sitting Vice President uses the weight of his personal trauma and the stage of public ceremony to issue a direct, philosophical, and constitutional challenge to the very President he serves under.
“This was not just a political event. It was an emotional and psychological projection. Shettima, through a structured cascade of storytelling, philosophical commentary, and moral argument, spoke to a nation’s buried conscience. He reminded the political class that memory, once activated, becomes resistance; and that resistance, when spoken from within the system, is not treason but truth,” Oshodi said.
Declaring that he has no personal relationship with VP Shettima or President Tinubu, while arguing that the VP’s statement also indirectly rebuked the Speaker, House of Representatives and President of the Senate for their role in the Rivers State emergency matter, Oshodi said his reflections are not rooted in allegiance but in psychological observation and civic duty.
“What Shettima did today is real. It is rare. And it is better for Nigeria’s democracy. It represents a moment of internal correction, the kind that constitutional democracies desperately need to survive. It signals that within even the highest levels of government, there remain voices willing to challenge the erosion of constitutional boundaries. In a country where sycophancy too often overshadows conscience, Shettima’s words serve as a psychological reset—a recalibration of how power should be spoken to. And if I may be honest, I thank him, indirectly, for this moment. For his courage. For his memory. And for showing the country that to dissent from within is not to betray, but to uphold something greater.”
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, latched on to the controversy immediately. Its Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson of the party adopted by the opposition coalition politicians recently, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi defended the Vice President’s comments, insisting they were constitutionally accurate.
“The truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness. The Vice President needs to stand by his forthright and courageous statement, which affirms that the President has no constitutional power to remove an elected councilor, not to talk of a sitting Governor.”
Senator Shehu Sani was blunt in his reaction. Taking to his X platform on Saturday he said, “When you speak in tongues, utter a phrase or a proverb, you can’t control its interpretation or misinterpretation. My Brother the VP should know this rule better.”
For Senator Ayo Arise, an APC member, the VP remarks had no connection to the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State following the crisis of confidence and leadership tussle that led to prolonged crisis in the state.
He said, “What the VP did was to make a comment on a favour. By and large, President Tinubu followed the procedure in suspending Rivers governor and the lawmakers. Like the Doctrine of Necessity that the National Assembly invoked to intervene and restore order during a leadership vacuum in Nigeria, the President had to act to restore peace in Rivers State. He did not remove but suspended the governor and lawmakers.”
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.
