By Samuel Adeola
The Office of the Vice President has dismissed media reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima criticised President Bola Tinubu over recent political developments in Rivers State.
In a statement issued on Friday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the reports were described as a “gross misrepresentation” of Shettima’s remarks during a public event in Abuja.
The Vice President had spoken at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block; a book by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), held Thursday at the Yar’Adua Centre.
According to Nkwocha, the VP’s references to historical political events were twisted by sections of the media to suggest disapproval of President Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers crisis.
Shettima had recounted how, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, there were attempts to remove him as Borno State Governor amid the Boko Haram insurgency.
The statement clarified that the Vice President’s remarks were strictly historical and aimed at reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic evolution, not a commentary on current affairs.
“His comments were part of an intellectual discourse and in no way a reference to recent actions of the Federal Government,” the statement said.
It also clarified that President Tinubu did not unilaterally remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara but implemented a constitutional emergency measure in response to severe security breaches and political instability in Rivers State.
The decision was backed by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution and ratified by the National Assembly.
“The cynical attempt to twist academic commentary into political criticism is not only misleading but endangers national unity,” the presidency warned.
The statement concluded by reaffirming Vice President Shettima’s loyalty and alignment with President Tinubu in upholding the Constitution and stabilising governance, urging media outlets to avoid taking public statements out of context.
