“They Told Tinubu I Wanted Him Dead” — Shettima Reveals Strange Allegation

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday disclosed that barely three months after President Bola Tinubu assumed office, some individuals from Borno State visited the President with a warning that he should stop wearing traditional outfits gifted to him during the 2023 campaign.

According to him, the visitors alleged that the clothing had been “spiritually manipulated” and could cause harm or even lead to the President’s death.

Shettima said President Tinubu dismissed the claim outright and, in a symbolic response, wore the attire continuously for a full week to debunk what he described as an illogical and unfounded story.

The Vice President made the remarks in Abuja during the public launch of former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), autobiography titled “My Life of Duty and Allegiance.”

Representing the President at the event, Shettima used the incident to highlight what he described as growing distrust and suspicion in Nigeria’s political and social space.

He also drew a contrast between present-day attitudes and earlier eras of trust, recalling the Sultan of Sokoto’s account of how Gowon regularly received gallons of fura sent weekly from the Sultan’s family in Sokoto to Dodan Barracks in Lagos without any suspicion or fear.

Shettima noted that such gestures reflected a level of mutual confidence that, in his view, has largely faded.

“The Sultan of Sokoto narrated how his family used to send gallons of fura weekly to General Yakubu Gowon at Dodan Barracks, and he accepted it without suspicion,” Shettima said.

“But today, things have changed. Suspicion now clouds our relationships, and it shouldn’t be so. We are one people bound by a shared destiny.”

Recounting his personal experience, Shettima said that during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu toured northern Nigeria seeking support, and he provided him with traditional Borno attire and a cap to help him blend in with local audiences.

He said the outfit was well received and became part of Tinubu’s campaign wardrobe.

However, after the election victory, tensions emerged over the same clothing.

Shettima said that while he was in Beijing, China, in October 2023—where he represented Tinubu at the Belt and Road Initiative Forum—the President called him upon his return with a troubling message.

“When I came back from China, he said, ‘Sit down. Some people came to me and said I should stop wearing those clothes you gave me. They claimed I had been charmed and that I might die, and that you were doing it so you could become President,’” he recounted.

Shettima said Tinubu dismissed the allegation as baseless, noting that the timeline of events made it illogical.

He added that the President responded by continuing to wear the outfit for about a week as a way of disproving the claim.

“For one week, he wore those dresses to show there was nothing to it,” Shettima said.

He described the episode as part of what he called the increasing spread of conspiracy thinking within political circles.

The Vice President also paid tribute to General Gowon, praising his leadership style and contributions to national unity, including the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and his role in founding ECOWAS.

He urged Nigerians to resist division and embrace unity, citing Plateau State as an example where cycles of violence must give way to reconciliation based on shared history and kinship.

Describing Gowon as “the last man standing” among Nigeria’s post-independence military leaders, Shettima said the former Head of State’s autobiography represents a valuable record at a time when the country needs reflection and national memory.

“There are leaders remembered even before they leave office, and there are those whose legacy grows because they used office to serve national purpose. General Gowon belongs to the latter,” he said.

He concluded with a quote attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., urging unity: “We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.”