Don’t Intimidate Shettima Into Retracting The Truth, LP Tells Presidency
By Tunde Opalana
The Labour Party, LP has told the Presidency not to intimidate the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima into retracting a recent statement of limitation to the power of the president on other elected public office holders .
The party made reference to a statement by Shettima at the public presentation of the book “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” authored by former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser, Media, to the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman in a statement on Sunday said “Vice President Kashim Shettima made a remark that was as honest as it was instructive.”
The Labour Party frowned at an attempted, rather clumsily effort by the office of the Vice President to distance his remarks from the current situation in Rivers State.
“It is disingenuous for the Vice President’s handlers to pretend not to know that Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) – which governs the declaration of a state of emergency – has not changed since 2013. That section confers no power whatsoever on the President to remove a sitting governor under any guise, including the declaration of emergency rule.
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“We commend Vice President Shettima for his rare moment of honesty in drawing attention to what was clearly an unconstitutional act – the illegal removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara earlier in March under the pretext of political chaos and breakdown of law and order by President Bola Tinubu.
“However, what is deeply troubling is the speed and intensity with which the Vice President has been compelled to walk back his words. The question must be asked: Who is intimidating the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
“If someone of Shettima’s stature – armed with immunity from prosecution and other ancillary protections of his office – cannot freely express a factual opinion without being coerced into a retraction, then it is a damning reflection of the human rights climate under the current administration. Indeed, it is no surprise that Nigeria continues to plunge to the bottom of human rights rankings across Africa.
“We reiterate our appreciation to Vice President Shettima for speaking truth to power, even if momentarily. But we strongly urge those pulling strings behind the scenes to cease and desist from undermining the dignity of the office of the Vice President.
“It is not only disrespectful to the man, but also to the institution he represents and to the Constitution he swore to uphold,” the statement read.
