VP Shettima’s  Office Explains His  Remarks At Book Launch

By Ayodele Oni

The Office of the Vice President has shed more light on his at a recent book launch. It said those remarks were historical references to events that occurred during the former President Goodluck  Jonathan’s administration.

It explained that the remarks constituted nothing more than an intellectual discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President), said in a statement on Friday that: “This rare moment of retrospection was purely illustrative, intended to demonstrate how our constitutional democracy has matured within the capacity to resolve complex federal-state tensions through established legal mechanisms.

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

“It was part of the measures implemented, including the state of emergency declared, in response to the grave circumstances surrounding the polity in Rivers State at the time.

“It is more so considering the unprecedented situation where the State House of Assembly complex was under demolition and the Governor was facing a looming threat of impeachment (outright removal from office) from the embattled members of the state legislature.

“This cannot be compared with the situation in the North East region under the Jonathan administration, where violent non-state actors were challenging the sovereignty of the Nigerian state and required collective action from the central government and subnationals to eliminate the terrorists.

“President Tinubu’s actions were taken within the constitutional framework and in consultation with relevant stakeholders to preserve democratic institutions and maintain peace in Rivers State.”

The statement added that there is no comparison between what happened during Jonathan’s era and that of the present administration of President Tinubu.

“The Vice President’s speech was focused on the importance of public officials documenting their stewardship and the eternal nature of accountability in public service.

“His historical references were made to illustrate the principled positions taken by public servants in the past, not a criticism of government policies.”