Vice‑President Kashim Shettima publicly argued that the Nigerian President doesn’t have authority under the Constitution to remove a sitting governor.
Speaking at a book launch in Abuja on Thursday, July 10, he drew on his experience as a former governor to speak on the dangers of such extra‑constitutional actions.
He recalled an incident during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration when the idea of removing northeastern state governors was proposed.
Shettima praised then‑Attorney‑General Bello Adoke and legal adviser Kabiru Turaki for successfully arguing that neither the President nor the Federal Executive Council had the power to sack elected officials, a move that ended the attempt.
Although Shettima who served as governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019 before becoming Vice‑President in 2023 didn’t directly mention Rivers State Governor Simi Fubara’s removal, his remarks clearly challenged President Bola Tinubu’s decision in March to suspend Fubara by declaring a state of emergency.
That action, later backed by the National Assembly, has kept Fubara out of office with a military-appointed administrator in charge .
Shettima has stayed mostly silent on the Fubara matter until now.
The State House has not responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, within the governing APC, there’s political friction: during a meeting last month, leaders endorsed Tinubu for a second term but notably skipped affirming Shettima as running mate, a break from tradition that raised eyebrows among observers.
