The Presidency has debunked reports linking Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks at a recent book launch to the political situation in Rivers State, describing such reports as “grossly misleading” and “recklessly irresponsible.”
In a statement issued on Friday, July 11, 2025, by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), the Presidency expressed dismay over what it termed the deliberate twisting of the Vice President’s comments made at the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” by former Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Thursday.
At the centre of the controversy are media interpretations that Shettima’s historical account of how the Jonathan administration allegedly plotted his removal as Borno State Governor during the peak of Boko Haram insurgency was a veiled criticism of the suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.
However, the Presidency categorically distanced the Vice President from such insinuations, stating that his remarks were “purely academic” and intended to highlight Nigeria’s constitutional evolution in dealing with federal-state tensions.
> “Vice President Shettima’s comments were made within the specific context of acknowledging the author’s professional conduct during his tenure as Attorney General,” the statement read.
“His references were historical and illustrative, not commentary on current affairs.”
The Presidency further clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office, but rather invoked constitutional powers in response to the political crisis that engulfed Rivers State earlier this year.
> “The constitutional action taken was suspension, and not outright removal. It followed a declaration of a state of emergency—an extraordinary measure necessitated by widespread violence, attempted impeachment, and destruction of public institutions in the state,” Nkwocha explained.
Citing Section 305 of the Constitution, the statement emphasized that the President acted within the legal framework, with subsequent ratification by the National Assembly.
> “The descent into political chaos in Rivers State had reached a threshold that required urgent intervention. It was not an arbitrary decision, but one grounded in the law and supported by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly,” it said.
The Office of the Vice President warned against what it called “the cynical attempt to twist academic commentary into imagined political criticism,” describing such tactics as dangerous to national unity.
> “These distortions are not only deplorable but constitute a reckless endangerment of our national cohesion,” the statement added.
Reaffirming the unity within the Tinubu administration, the Presidency stressed that Vice President Shettima remains fully aligned with President Tinubu’s constitutional decisions and leadership.
> “The Vice President stands shoulder to shoulder with the President in implementing difficult but necessary measures to protect our democracy and uphold the rule of law,” the statement concluded.
The statement urged media houses and political actors to refrain from cherry-picking statements to suit divisive narratives and instead contribute to responsible and factual national discourse.
