The Presidency has reacted to reports making the rounds in some quarters of the media concerning the remarks made by Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday at the public presentation of a book written by former Minister of Justice Mohammed Adoke.
In a message he issued on Friday, Spokesperson to the Vice President, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, said contrary to insinuations, VP Shettima’s remark at the book launch had nothing to do with the current situation in Rivers State.
STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT
No Link Between VP Shettima’s Remarks At Book Launch And Certain Online Reports
The Office of the Vice President @officialSKSM has noted with serious concern the gross misrepresentation of remarks made by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice… pic.twitter.com/6xZowZkMuO
— Stanley Nkwocha (@stanleynkwocha_) July 11, 2025
He said: “The office of the Vice President has noted with serious concern the gross misrepresentation of 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), 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 Northeast region.”
Mr Nkwocha described the sensational misrepresentation of the VP’s remarks as the fiction of mischief makers.
“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, 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 His remarks were historical references to events during the Jonathan administration and were intended as a discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution.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,” he added.
The Vice President’s media aide further stated that the current situation in Rivers has no connection with the situation in Borno State when Kashim Shettima was its governor.
“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 Northeast 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,” said the spokesperson.
He also quotes some laws that give backing to the action of the President on Rivers State, saying: “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 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).
“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.”
Giving more clarification on the remarks made by the Vice President at Thursday’s book launch, Mr Nkwocha said it was borne out of appreciation for the high principle of the Author and former Attorney General, Mohammed Adoke.
“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 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 to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha concluded.