Some People Told Tinubu I Wanted To Kill Him, Seize Power –Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday revealed that some individuals allegedly told President Bola Tinubu shortly after he assumed office that traditional outfits gifted to him by Shettima during the 2023 campaign had been spiritually manipulated to influence him and could eventually lead to his death.

Shettima disclosed this while speaking at the public presentation of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, in Abuja, where he represented President Tinubu.

According to the Vice President, the individuals, said to be from Borno State, warned Tinubu against continuing to wear the traditional garments and cap he received from Shettima during the election campaign.

He said the President dismissed the allegations and deliberately continued wearing the outfits for one week to demonstrate that he was not influenced by superstition or fetish beliefs.

“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 he will become the president,’” Shettima recounted.

The Vice President said he immediately pointed out that the allegation was illogical because at the time he gave Tinubu the outfits, neither of them had secured the APC presidential ticket.

“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 said.

According to Shettima, Tinubu responded to the rumours by intentionally wearing the outfits repeatedly for seven days.

“For one week, to prove to them that he is not fetish, he wore those dresses. These are some of the gimmicks taking place in power circles in Nigeria nowadays,” he added.

The Vice President used the incident to lament what he described as growing suspicion and mistrust in Nigeria’s political environment.

He contrasted the development with an earlier account shared by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who narrated how his family regularly sent gallons of fura to former Head of State Yakubu Gowon during his years in office.

According to Shettima, Gowon accepted the gesture without suspicion, reflecting a level of trust that has diminished in contemporary Nigeria.

“His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, had been narrating the story of the family of the Sultan sending gallons of fura every week to General Yakubu Gowon in Dodan Barracks because of the trust and confidence. General Gowon willingly received 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,” he said.

Shettima also praised Gowon for his role in promoting national unity and reconciliation after the civil war, describing him as a statesman whose leadership transcended ethnic and religious divisions.

He highlighted Gowon’s role in establishing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and contributing to the formation of ECOWAS, noting that the autobiography serves as a reminder of Nigeria’s shared history and collective destiny.

Quoting American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the Vice President urged Nigerians to embrace unity and reject divisive tendencies.

“Let us learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” he said.

The event was attended by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, Senate President Godswill Akpabio represented by Senator Ireti Kingibe, President of the Court of Appeal Monica Dongban-Mensem, and several retired military officers.