Vice President Shettima’s Remarks Misrepresented, Says State House.
The Office of the Vice President has strongly condemned the misrepresentation of comments made by Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, during a book launch in Abuja on Thursday, 10 July 2025. Speaking at the public presentation of *OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block* by Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) at the Yar’Adua Centre, Shettima’s remarks were distorted by some media outlets, sparking unwarranted controversy.
Certain reports falsely linked the Vice President’s historical references to the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan with the recent state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The State House clarified that Shettima’s comments were solely about Adoke’s professional conduct as Attorney General during the Jonathan era, serving as an intellectual reflection on Nigeria’s constitutional development. They were not, as suggested, a commentary on current events.
The Vice President recounted how the Jonathan administration considered removing him as Borno State governor during the peak of the North East insurgency. This was presented as an example of how Nigeria’s constitutional democracy has evolved to address federal-state tensions through legal mechanisms. The State House described the remarks as a “rare moment of retrospection” meant to highlight the maturity of Nigeria’s democratic processes.
Addressing the Rivers State situation, the State House emphasised that President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara but suspended him as part of measures, including a state of emergency, to address severe unrest. This followed a breakdown in public order, marked by politically motivated violence, attacks on federal institutions, and the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex. The situation, compounded by the threat of Fubara’s impeachment, necessitated federal intervention under Section 305(1)(c) of the Constitution, which allows extraordinary measures to restore peace and security.
The State House noted that President Tinubu adhered strictly to constitutional protocols, with the National Assembly ratifying the state of emergency through a bipartisan majority, as required by Section 305(3). This broad support underscored the necessity of federal action to stabilise Rivers State, which had descended into chaos with daily incidents of violence and governance paralysis.
The statement condemned attempts to portray Shettima’s remarks as criticism of current policies, calling such interpretations either deliberate misrepresentations or a misunderstanding of constitutional discourse. It stressed that the Vice President’s speech focused on the importance of public officials documenting their service and the enduring nature of accountability, not on critiquing government actions.
The State House urged media outlets and political actors to refrain from distorting statements to create false narratives, warning that such actions threaten national cohesion. It reaffirmed the administration’s unity and commitment to constitutional governance, with Vice President Shettima fully supporting President Tinubu’s efforts to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, reiterated the administration’s call for responsible reporting to preserve the integrity of public discourse.
