The Presidency has issued a formal clarification regarding recent media interpretations of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks at the launch of the book OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block authored by former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).
Contrary to reports suggesting that Vice President Shettima indirectly criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Presidency affirms that Shettima’s comments were historical reflections and not commentary on current political developments.
Speaking through the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, the Office of the Vice President emphasized that Shettima’s remarks were made in the context of acknowledging Adoke’s professional conduct during the Jonathan administration. His references to the Borno crisis were intended to illustrate Nigeria’s constitutional evolution—not to draw parallels with the situation in Rivers State.
“The crisis in Borno during the Boko Haram insurgency involved violent non-state actors threatening national sovereignty,” Nkwocha stated. “In contrast, the Rivers State situation was a political and security crisis requiring constitutional intervention to uphold democratic institutions.”
The Presidency reiterated that President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara, but rather implemented a constitutional suspension under Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, following grave political instability in Rivers State. This action was ratified by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly and aimed at restoring peace and governance.
The Office of the Vice President urges media outlets and political commentators to refrain from distorting public statements to fuel false narratives or suggest internal discord within the administration.