The Presidency on Friday dismissed online reports that the Vice President Kashim Shettima, in his remarks at a book launch by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, indirectly faulted the suspension of Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
The Presidency, through the office of the Vice President, clarified that Shettima’s remark was misrepresented outside the context it was made.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha made the clarification via a public statement. The statement reads, “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 `OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block` by Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
“Certain online platforms and individuals have distorted the Vice President’s comments, falsely linking his historical references about the Jonathan administration’s consideration of his removal as Governor of Borno State during the insurgency, to the current political developments in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.
“This misrepresentation is misleading and ignores the clear constitutional and contextual differences between the two situations.
“Vice President Shettima’s remarks were made in the context of recognizing the professional conduct of the book’s author during his tenure as Attorney General of the Federation.
“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.”
The presidency stated the remarks especially as it directly concerned the situation in Rivers State which it said was completely different from the scenario in Borno State.
“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.
“This decisive action, supported by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, was necessary to restore peace, stability, and effective governance in Rivers State.
“The crisis in Rivers State is fundamentally different from the insurgency challenges faced in the North East under the Jonathan administration. 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.
“We emphasize that conflating suspension with removal is inaccurate and misleading. Vice President Shettima’s comments were not directed at current events but were historical reflections underscoring accountability and principled public service, alongside his personal connections to the author and other public figures,” the statement reads.
The statement emphasised that the Vice President fully supports President Tinubu’s constitutional actions to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and called on media and political actors to refrain from distorting statements to create imaginary narratives.
