Vice-President Kashim Shettima has issued a veiled but unmistakable rebuke of President Bola Tinubu’s controversial removal of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, drawing attention to the constitutional limits of presidential power and condemning what he suggested was an unlawful exercise of authority.
Speaking during the launch of a book by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, in Abuja on Thursday, Shettima recalled an attempt by former President Goodluck Jonathan to remove him as Governor of Borno State, likening it to the ongoing constitutional crisis in Rivers State—where Governor Fubara was removed from office in March 2025 under contentious circumstances.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was floating the idea of removing this Borno governor,” Shettima said, referring to himself. “And Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, had the courage to tell the president: ‘You don’t have the power to remove an elected councillor.’”
The Vice President went on to praise Adoke, who served as attorney-general at the time, for upholding constitutional principles. “The president was still unconvinced. He mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council. Mr Mohammed Adoke told the president: ‘You do not have the power to remove a sitting governor.’ They sought the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who also said: ‘I am of the candid opinion of my senior colleagues.’ That was how the matter was laid to rest,” he stated.
While Shettima did not mention Tinubu or Fubara by name, the timing and content of his remarks were widely interpreted as a condemnation of Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the removal of Fubara and installation of a retired general to act in his stead.
The declaration which was later ratified by the National Assembly under allegations of bribery, has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum for its lack of constitutional foundation.
Shettima’s public stance is especially notable as it marks his first significant divergence from President Tinubu on a major political issue, and may signal deepening fractures within the top echelons of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This is not just a historical anecdote. It is a warning,” a political analyst, Udechukwu Gabriel said.
“Shettima is reminding the country—and the presidency—what the constitution allows, and what it doesn’t. His statement is a direct challenge to the justification behind the state of emergency in Rivers State.”
Tensions between Tinubu and Shettima have been simmering in recent months. Just weeks ago, a high-level APC meeting ended in disarray after party leaders endorsed Tinubu for a second term in 2027 without confirming Shettima as his running mate—an unusual departure from political tradition.
During Thursday’s event, Shettima also expressed gratitude to Adoke for forgiving past offenses, referencing his own status during the Jonathan administration. “I want to thank you for the courage to forgive those who have offended you. In the last four years of the Jonathan government, I was the public enemy number one,” he said.
With Shettima now publicly drawing lines on constitutional integrity, analysts say the political fallout from the Rivers State crisis may just be beginning.
