Presidency In Damage Control As Shettima’s “Madman” Remark Sparks Rivers Controversy

The Presidency has refuted reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent remarks at a book launch in Abuja were aimed at current events in Rivers State involving Governor Siminalayi Fubara and President Bola Tinubu.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking at the public presentation of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block, authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), Shettima recalled a past incident during the Goodluck Jonathan administration when efforts were made to remove him as Governor of Borno State amid the Boko Haram insurgency.

However, in a statement issued on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, clarified that Shettima’s comments were historical in nature. He emphasized that the Vice President was simply acknowledging Adoke’s conduct in office and not commenting on present political developments.

Nkwocha criticized the media for what he described as a “gross misrepresentation” of Shettima’s remarks, accusing some outlets of recklessly endangering national unity.

“Certain media platforms have irresponsibly distorted the Vice President’s account of the attempt to remove him as Borno governor during the height of the insurgency in the North East under Jonathan’s administration,” Nkwocha said.

He condemned what he called “sensational” and “false” efforts to link Shettima’s comments to the state of emergency declared in Rivers and the temporary suspension of Governor Fubara by President Tinubu.

“We want to state clearly that the Vice President’s remarks were made solely in recognition of the author’s past role as Attorney General and reflected only on historical events under the Jonathan government. They were part of an intellectual discussion on Nigeria’s constitutional journey,” he explained.

According to him, the Vice President’s comments were never meant as commentary on current political tensions, but rather as a reflection on how Nigeria’s democracy has evolved to resolve federal-state conflicts through constitutional mechanisms.

He also stressed that contrary to media claims, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. Instead, what occurred was a constitutional suspension amid serious political and security challenges in the state — including the demolition of the State House of Assembly and a threat of impeachment against the governor.

Nkwocha defended the President’s intervention in Rivers, stating it was done in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, and was later ratified by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly.

“President Tinubu acted strictly within the framework of the Constitution. The declaration of a state of emergency was a lawful response to the grave instability in Rivers,” he concluded.