NIGERIA: Presidency Slams Media Over ‘Twisted’ Reports On Shettima’s Book Launch Remarks

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The Office of the Vice President has condemned what it described as a deliberate and irresponsible misrepresentation of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comments at a recent book launch in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Friday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, said some media reports falsely linked the Vice President’s historical remarks to current political tensions in Rivers State.

Shettima had spoken at the public presentation of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block, authored by former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), held at the Yar’Adua Centre on Thursday.

The Vice President, according to Nkwocha, referenced a past attempt by the Jonathan administration to remove him as governor of Borno State during the height of insurgency in the North East.

However, some reports allegedly twisted the narrative to suggest Shettima was drawing parallels between that era and President Tinubu’s constitutional actions in Rivers State, including the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the declaration of a state of emergency.

The Presidency clarified that Shettima’s remarks were strictly historical and academic, intended to highlight Nigeria’s constitutional evolution and not to critique the President’s handling of the Rivers crisis.

“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional action taken was suspension, not outright removal,” the statement read.

It added that Tinubu acted within the bounds of Section 305 of the Constitution, following proper consultation and receiving ratification from the National Assembly.

The Office of the Vice President also rejected comparisons between the Rivers crisis and the insurgency in the North East under Goodluck Jonathan, noting that the latter was a direct assault on national sovereignty.

The statement warned media outlets and political actors against distorting public commentary for partisan ends, describing such acts as reckless and harmful to national unity.

“Vice President Shettima stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu in implementing these difficult but indispensable actions to safeguard our democracy,” Nkwocha stated.

He urged the media to uphold responsible journalism and avoid sensationalism that threatens constitutional order and public trust.