Borno People Accused Me Of Plotting To Kill Tinubu To Become President — VP Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed how some people from his home state of Borno accused him of trying to kill President Bola Tinubu using traditional outfits he had gifted him during the 2023 campaign.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of the autobiography of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, titled “My Life of Duty and Allegiance,” Shettima said the claim came up just a few months after Tinubu took office.

According to him, the issue started when some people from Borno visited the president and advised him to stop wearing the traditional clothes and caps Shettima had given him, claiming there was something suspicious about them.

Shettima explained that during the campaign period, he arranged for Tinubu to wear northern-style outfits so he could better connect with people in that region.

Representing Tinubu at the event, Shettima said: “When we were campaigning for him to emerge as the aspirant of the APC, we were going around the North. We, the people of Borno, unlike the people of Sokoto, are the best-dressed Northerners.

“So I got some materials and caps for him to blend with the northern crowd. It fitted him very well, and his aides said, ‘Please, produce more.’

“Barely three months, he was sworn into office. Some of my people from Borno came to him and said, please, stop wearing those Shettima clothing. He must have charmed them, and you are going to die, and he will become the President.”

Shettima said Tinubu later called him after returning from an official trip to China, where he had represented the president at an international forum, and told him about the claims.

The vice president said Tinubu found the accusation strange, especially since the outfits were given at a time when both of them were still seeking political positions.

“Just barely three months, and to the eternal credit of the President, when I came back from China, while I represented him at the Bells and Roses Initiative campaign, he said, ‘Sit down. Your people came to me and said, I should stop wearing those dresses you gave me.

“Their story did not add up because when you gave me those dresses, I was an aspirant. I wasn’t the candidate. Neither were you, the Vice President and the presidential candidate,” the VP stated.

To dismiss the rumours, Shettima said Tinubu continued wearing the clothes for a full week.

“For one week, he wore those dresses. These are some of the gimmicks taking place in power circles in Nigeria nowadays. Suspicion smears our relationships, and it ought not to be. We are essentially one people tied to a common destiny,” he added

He compared the situation to a story shared by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, who recalled how his family used to send food items to Gowon during his time in power without any fear or doubt.

Shettima praised Gowon as a leader whose actions helped strengthen national unity, highlighting programmes like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as lasting contributions to the country.

KanyiDaily recalls that APC recently denied claims that Kashim Shettima may be replaced as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 election.