Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that some individuals allegedly attempted to create suspicion between him and President Bola Tinubu just three months after they assumed office.
According to him, the unnamed individuals whom he identified as people from Borno State allegedly told Tinubu that he was planning to kill him and take over power.
The Vice President made the disclosure , Tuesday, during the launch of “My Life of Duty and Allegiance,” the autobiography of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, in Abuja.
He explained that the allegation was connected to some clothes he had gifted Tinubu before the 2023 presidential election.
He said the President later invited him for a discussion after hearing the claim but dismissed the allegation because it did not make sense to him.
His words:
“Three months into our swearing in, some people told Tinubu I was planning to kill him to take over power.
“The President had called me and said, ‘Sit down! Your people came to me and said, stop wearing those Shettima’s clothes.’”
According to Shettima, Tinubu questioned the logic behind the allegation, noting that at the time the clothes were given, both of them were still aspirants.
“But the President said their story did not add up. He said when you gave me those clothes, I was an aspirant. I would not have been the candidate, neither were you going to be Vice-Presidential candidate,” Shettima stated.
He further revealed that some individuals allegedly told Tinubu after the election that the clothes were intended to harm him spiritually and pave the way for Shettima to assume power.
“Some people told him after election that I was planning to use the clothes to kill him and take over. However, Tinubu wore the clothes after that because he is not fetish,” he added.
The Vice President said the incident highlighted the dangers of divisive politics, suspicion, and false narratives within the political system.
He urged Nigerians to promote unity, trust, and peaceful coexistence rather than allowing themselves to be used to spread division and hostility.
Shettima also warned against what he described as “merchants of division,” stressing that the country can only progress through togetherness and mutual trust among citizens and leaders.
