The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Nenadi Usman, has criticised what she describes as attempts to intimidate Vice President Kashim Shettima into retracting recent remarks he made at the public presentation of a book by former Justice Minister, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).
Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, in Abuja on Saturday, Usman said that efforts to pressure the Vice President into distancing himself from his honest and constitutionally relevant comments amounted to a “disservice to Nigeria and a threat to democratic discourse.”
The remarks in question were made by Shettima during the launch of Adoke’s book, “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block”, on Thursday.
At the event, Shettima had praised Adoke and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, for advising then-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013 that he lacked the constitutional power to remove elected governors during a state of emergency.
Shettima’s comment, which many interpreted as a subtle criticism of the controversial political developments in Rivers State, particularly the attempted removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara in March, was later revoked in a follow-up statement from his office, disassociating the remark from current political events.
In her statement, Usman said:
“It is disingenuous for the Vice President’s handlers to pretend not to know that Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which governs the declaration of a state of emergency, has not changed since 2013.”
She added that Shettima’s original remark was a “rare moment of candour” and applauded him for drawing attention to an unconstitutional act under the current administration.
“It is troubling that the Vice President has been compelled to walk back his words. If someone of Shettima’s stature, armed with constitutional immunity, cannot freely express a factual opinion without coercion, then it speaks volumes about the current human rights climate in Nigeria,” Usman said.
She called on those allegedly working behind the scenes to pressure the Vice President to stop undermining the dignity of his office.
“It is not only disrespectful to the man but also to the institution he represents and the Constitution he swore to uphold,” the statement read.
Usman concluded by reaffirming the Labour Party’s commitment to defending democratic institutions and free expression, warning that the erosion of such principles could hasten the decline of democratic accountability in the country.
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