Presidency Denies Link Between VP Shettima’s Book Launch Remarks and Rivers State Crisis

The Office of the Vice President has strongly refuted media reports suggesting a connection between Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments at a book launch and the political situation in Rivers State, describing such claims as a “gross misrepresentation.”

In a statement signed by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), the presidency criticised what it called “irresponsible” and “sensational” media interpretations of the Vice President’s remarks during the public presentation of 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.

According to the statement, Vice President Shettima’s comments were strictly historical, referencing attempts during the Jonathan administration to remove him as governor of Borno State amid the Boko Haram insurgency. The remarks, it said, were meant to highlight how Nigeria’s constitutional democracy has evolved in dealing with federal-state tensions and had no bearing on the ongoing political events in Rivers State.

“The Vice President’s speech was focused on the importance of public officials documenting their stewardship and the eternal nature of accountability in public service,” the statement read. “To interpret Senator Shettima’s observations as commentary on current affairs represents either willful misinterpretation or ignorance of constitutional discourse.”

The statement also addressed claims surrounding the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara. It emphasised that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu acted within constitutional bounds in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the governor, citing Section 305 of the Constitution. It noted that the decision was taken after careful consultation and ratified by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly.

Highlighting the gravity of the situation in Rivers State, the presidency cited “a breakdown of public order,” politically motivated violence, and attacks on federal institutions as justification for federal intervention.

“There was complete paralysis of governance,” the statement said. “President Tinubu followed the constitutional process with honest precision. This broad cross-party consensus demonstrates the universal recognition among our elected representatives that Rivers State had reached a point of constitutional necessity.”

Reaffirming the unity of the administration, the Vice President’s office stressed that Senator Shettima “stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu” in preserving constitutional order and democratic stability.

It urged media outlets and political actors to “abandon the destructive practice of wrenching statements from their proper context to fabricate nonexistent conflicts.”

On Thursday, the Vice President Kashim Shettima spoke at the public presentation of “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block,” a memoir written by former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).

He explained that in the last four years of the Jonathan administration, he was the most demonised serving governor and “was a public enemy number one.”

The vice president stated, “Former President Goodluck Jonathan, with whom we have sheathed the sword and have now recalibrated our relationship, was mooting the idea of removing the Borno governor and Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, dared to tell the president that Your Excellency, you don’t have the power to remove an elected councillor.

“The president was still not convinced. He mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council. I admire Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke for his courage, for his conviction, and for his capacity to stand for what he believes in.

He told the president, ” Mr. President, you do not have the power to remove a governor, not even a councillor.

“They sought the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who concurred with the opinion of a senior colleague. That was how the matter was laid to rest. That was how my relationship with Adoke and Tambuwal became eternally sealed.”

Critics have argued that the recent revelation challenges President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State. This measure included the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly amidst the political crisis involving FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Governor Fubara.