By Adesina Soyooye
Strong-waxing opposition Political Party, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has urged Vice President Kashim Shettima not to back down on his statement that the President has no powers to remove an elected State Governor from office.
Shettima had, at the book presentation of a former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, said that former President Goodluck Jonathan was all poised to remove him as the Governor of Borno State, but was stopped by Adoke and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, both of whom told him (Jonathan), that he had no powers to remove a Governor from office.
Shettima’s pronouncement has since been interpreted in many quarters to mean that he was indirectly faulting the suspension from office by President Bola Tinubu of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
While the real reason Shettima chose to tell the story was still being speculated on, the Presidency, in a statement signed by Stanley Nkwocha Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, to the President, office of the Vice President, explained that what the Vice President said has been turned upside down misrepresented. The statement said the Vice President only made historical references to Jonathan’s desires to remove him as the Governor of Borno State at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the area.
The statement said: “The sensational reporting disappointingly tried to erect a highly mendacious argument about the state of emergency declared in Rivers State and the subsequent suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional action taken was suspension and not outright removal.”
But the ADC has faulted the clarification and dismissed it as “a mere attempt at political correctness.”
In a statement issued on its behalf by Interim National Publicity Secretary and Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC asked the Vice President to stand firm on what he said because he was constitutionally correct.
ADC: “The truth must not be lost in the fog of political correctness. The Vice President needs to stand by his forthright and courageous statement, which affirms that the President has no constitutional power to remove an elected councillor, not to talk of a sitting Governor.
“In declaring a state of emergency in the affected states under these dire circumstances, President Jonathan recognised the limits of his constitutional powers and he respected it.
“This is not just history. It is precedent.”
Shettima’s exact words at the presentation of Adoke’s book, “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” were:
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was floating the idea of removing this Borno governor. (Shettima pointing 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 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.”
President Bola Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a State of emergency in Rivers State, suspended the Governor, his Deputy and all Members of the State House of Assembly for “an initial period of six months.”
He proceeded to appoint a retired Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the State’s Sole Administrator.
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