The Presidency yesterday drew a distinction between the Thursday remarks of Vice President Kashim Shettima at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), and the recent political developments in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional actions in that regard.
It labeled as gross misrepresentation online reports suggesting that the Vice President had drawn a comparison between his experience as Governor of Borno State under President Goodluck Jonathan and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by President Tinubu.
Responding to the online reports in a statement yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, said the VP’s remarks were distorted.
“Certain online news outlets and individuals have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” Nkwocha said.
Continuing, he said: “They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him from office during the insurgency in the North East, to draw false equivalence with current events in Rivers State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.
“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the Governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition.”
The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.
It said the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.
“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the Governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the Presidency noted.
It also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.
He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.
“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.
The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.
The Presidency asked media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.
“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.
However, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) dismissed the Presidency’s statement as “a mere attempt at political correctness.”
The party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness.
