Shettima: Some people told Tinubu I wanted him dead

Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that some individuals from Borno State allegedly warned President Bola Tinubu against wearing traditional attire he gave him during the 2023 election campaign, claiming it had been used to charm him and could lead to his death.

 

Shettima disclosed this on Tuesday during the public presentation of former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography, “My Life of Duty and Allegiance,” in Abuja.

 

Representing President Tinubu at the event, the Vice President said the incident reflected growing suspicion in Nigerian public life.

 

He contrasted the situation with an account shared by the Sultan of Sokoto on how Gowon would openly receive gallons of fura sent weekly by the Sultan’s family to Dodan Barracks in Lagos without suspicion.

 

“His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto had been narrating the story of the family of the Sultan sending gallons of fura every week to Gen. Yakubu Gowon in Dodan Barracks, because of the trust and confidence Gen. Gowon was willingly receiving it without any suspicion.

 

“But now the game is different. Suspicion smears our relationships, and it ought not to be. We are essentially one people tied to a common destiny,” Shettima said.

 

The Vice President recalled that ahead of the 2023 presidential campaign, he arranged traditional Borno attire and a cap for Tinubu to wear while seeking support across northern Nigeria.

 

According to him, Tinubu frequently wore the outfits during the campaign.

 

Shettima said the issue resurfaced after he returned from China in October 2023, where he had represented Tinubu at the Belt and Road Initiative Forum.

 

“When I came back from China, where I had represented him at the Belt and Road Initiative Conference, he said: ‘Sit down. Your people came to me and said I should stop wearing those dresses you gave me. They said I must have been charmed, and that I am going to die and you will become the president,’” Shettima said.

 

According to him, Tinubu dismissed the allegation.

 

“Their story did not add up, because when you gave me those dresses, I was an aspirant. I wasn’t even the candidate. Neither were you the vice-presidential candidate,” he quoted Tinubu as saying.

 

Shettima said Tinubu then deliberately wore the outfits continuously for a week.

 

“For one week, to prove to them that he is not a fetish, he wore those dresses.

 

“These are some of the gimmicks taking place in power circles in Nigeria nowadays,” he said.

 

The Vice President also praised Gowon’s leadership legacy, citing initiatives such as the National Youth Service Corps and his contributions to regional integration through the Economic Community of West African States.

 

He urged Nigerians to resist division and embrace unity.

 

Quoting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Shettima said: “Let us learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”