Vice President Shettima tackles Tinubu Over removal of Sim Fubara, says president has no power to remove elected governor
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday appeared to break ranks with President Bola Tinubu over the controversial ousting of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara a move that has sparked months of national debate and constitutional concern.
Speaking at the book launch of former Attorney-General Mohammed Bello Adoke in Abuja, Mr Shettima stopped short of directly addressing the March 18 removal of Governor Fubara, but his carefully worded remarks left little doubt about his stance on the legality and danger of presidential interference in subnational politics.
“There is no constitutional basis for the president to remove an elected governor in Nigeria,” Mr Shettima said, recounting his own experience as governor of Borno State during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Jonathan was floating the idea of removing this Borno governor,” he said, gesturing to himself. “And Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, had the courage to tell the president: ‘You don’t have the power to remove an elected councillor.’”
Shettima went further to commend Mr Adoke for standing firm against what he described as unconstitutional pressure in 2013, when insecurity in the northeast led the presidency to contemplate removing governors.
“They sought the opinion of another SAN, Kabiru Turaki, who also said: ‘I am of the candid opinion of my senior colleagues,’” Shettima recalled. “That was how the matter was laid to rest.”
The vice-president’s comments come nearly four months after President Tinubu, in a move first reported by Peoples Gazette, unilaterally removed Governor Fubara from office. The National Assembly later ratified the decision amid widespread allegations that lawmakers were bribed by presidential allies to approve the action.
Since then, a retired military general has been acting as the de facto governor of Rivers State, while Mr Fubara remains out of office with no clear legal redress in sight.
Though Mr Shettima did not mention Mr Fubara by name, political observers see his speech as a clear rebuke of the president’s handling of the situation and a sign of deepening cracks within the top echelon of Nigeria’s leadership.
His comments are also likely to intensify speculation over his future with the Tinubu administration. Last month, tensions flared when ruling party figures endorsed President Tinubu for a second term in 2027 without reaffirming Mr Shettima as his running mate a notable break from established political convention.
As the fallout continues, the vice-president’s statement may signal not just personal frustration but a brewing constitutional crisis over executive overreach and the independence of Nigeria’s states under the 1999 Constitution.
Follow BONA NAIJA for more
