The Office of the Vice President has expressed strong disapproval over what it described as the deliberate misrepresentation of remarks made by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima during a public event held in Abuja on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

The Vice President had spoken at the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block,” authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), at the Yar’Adua Centre. However, certain media reports allegedly twisted his comments, prompting a firm response from his office.

According to a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), some news outlets irresponsibly misconstrued Shettima’s reference to historical events under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. In his speech, Shettima recalled an episode where there were discussions about removing him from office as Governor of Borno State during the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Vice President’s office clarified that his remarks were solely historical and contextual, aimed at commending Adoke’s professional conduct during his time as Attorney General. The comments, it said, were part of an intellectual discussion on Nigeria’s constitutional journey—not an attack on the current administration or any state government.

The statement criticised media efforts to draw false parallels between past events and the recent developments in Rivers State, particularly the state of emergency and the suspension—not removal—of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“It is important to note,” the statement read, “that President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara. The constitutional action taken was a suspension, implemented in response to grave political instability, including the partial demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex and threats of impeachment against the Governor.”

The Presidency reiterated that President Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers State adhered strictly to the constitutional provisions under Section 305, which allows for federal action in situations of severe breakdown of law and order. The action, it noted, was backed by a bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, reflecting national consensus.

The Vice President’s office stressed that equating this constitutional process with past security challenges in the North East under Jonathan’s administration was both inaccurate and misleading.

“The cynical attempt to distort academic commentary as imagined criticism is not only deplorable but constitutes a reckless endangerment of national unity,” the statement added.

Reaffirming the unity of purpose within the administration, the statement concluded: “Vice President Shettima stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy. Media outlets and political actors are urged to refrain from twisting statements out of context to manufacture false narratives.”