Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday publicly questioned President Bola Tinubu’s controversial removal of Governor Simi Fubara of Rivers State, asserting that the president lacks constitutional authority to unilaterally remove an elected governor in Nigeria.
Governor Fubara was removed from office on March 18, 2025, by President Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers, a move initially and later ratified by the National Assembly amid allegations of bribery involving members of the president’s allies. Since then, a retired military general has been appointed as acting governor to oversee the state’s affairs.
Speaking at the book launch of former Attorney-General Bello Adoke in Abuja, Shettima drew from his own experience as a former governor to emphasize the constitutional limits of presidential powers over elected governors. He recalled a similar episode during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration when Jonathan proposed removing the then Borno governor (Shettima himself). At that time, the former Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, courageously informed the president that he had no such power. Attorney-General Bello Adoke also opposed the move, and another senior advocate in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, concurred, effectively ending the attempt.
Shettima praised Adoke for his role in defending constitutional governance during that period, highlighting the dangers of extra-constitutional interventions in state leadership. Although Shettima did not explicitly mention Fubara’s removal, his remarks clearly conveyed strong disapproval of presidential interference in the affairs of states.
This statement marks Shettima’s first public comment on the legality of Fubara’s removal and may deepen existing tensions between him and President Tinubu. In recent months, political analysts have noted strains in the Tinubu-Shettima alliance, especially after a contentious APC North-East meeting where Tinubu was endorsed for a second term without immediate endorsement of Shettima as running mate, breaking political tradition and sparking unrest among Shettima’s supporters.
The presidency has dismissed reports of discord between Tinubu and Shettima, describing such claims as “pure imagination” fueled by election-year speculation. Presidential aides have denied rumors that Shettima was barred from the Presidential Villa and insisted that the president and vice president maintain a strong working relationship.
Nonetheless, Shettima’s recent remarks underscore a growing unease within the ruling party about presidential overreach and the future political dynamics leading up to the 2027 elections. The controversy surrounding Governor Fubara’s removal and the subsequent emergency rule in Rivers State remain a flashpoint in Nigeria’s political landscape
