Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday revealed how some individuals allegedly tried to convince President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop wearing traditional clothes he gave him during the 2023 presidential campaign, claiming the garments were spiritually manipulated and could lead to the President’s death.
According to Shettima, the President dismissed the allegation and deliberately wore the clothes continuously for one week to show he did not believe in such claims.
The Vice President disclosed this while speaking at the public presentation of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography titled My Life of Duty and Allegiance in Abuja.
The event attracted several top political leaders, traditional rulers, retired military officers and senior government officials from across the country.
Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the occasion, used the story to speak about what he described as the growing culture of suspicion and mistrust in Nigeria’s political environment.
According to him, Nigerians were once more trusting of one another across ethnic and religious lines, but that spirit has gradually faded over the years.
The Vice President compared the current atmosphere of suspicion with stories shared earlier by the Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III during the programme.
He said the Sultan had narrated how his family regularly sent gallons of fura, a popular northern dairy drink, to Gowon at Dodan Barracks in Lagos during his time as Head of State.
According to Shettima, Gowon accepted the gifts without fear or suspicion because there was mutual trust among Nigerians at the time.
“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,” Shettima said.
“General Gowon was willingly receiving 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.”
The Vice President then narrated his personal experience involving Tinubu during the build-up to the 2023 general election.
He explained that before the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu was travelling across northern states to seek political support from delegates and party leaders.
According to him, he personally sourced traditional Borno attire and a cap for Tinubu so he could blend more easily with northern audiences during campaign outings.
He said Tinubu liked the clothes and wore them repeatedly throughout the campaign period.
Shettima said feedback from Tinubu’s aides showed the clothes fitted perfectly and became part of the President’s campaign appearance in parts of the North.
However, he said the situation changed shortly after the administration came into office in 2023.
The Vice President recalled that he travelled to Beijing, China, in October 2023 to represent Tinubu at the third Belt and Road Initiative Forum held between October 16 and 18.
The trip was one of Shettima’s first major international assignments after assuming office as Vice President.
He said that when he returned from China, Tinubu called him and informed him about a visit from some individuals from Borno State.
According to Shettima, the visitors warned Tinubu against continuing to wear the traditional dresses he had given him.
The Vice President said the people claimed he might have spiritually manipulated the clothes in order to take over power in the future.
“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,’” Shettima recounted.
“They said I must have been charmed, and that I am going to die and he will become the president.”
Shettima said Tinubu immediately dismissed the allegation because it did not make sense to him.
According to him, Tinubu pointed out that at the time the clothes were given to him, neither of them knew they would eventually emerge as President and Vice President.
“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,” Shettima quoted Tinubu as saying.
The Vice President further disclosed that Tinubu decided to wear the dresses continuously for one week to openly reject the allegation and prove he was not influenced by superstition.
“For one week, to prove to them that he is not fetish, he wore those dresses,” Shettima said.
“These are some of the gimmicks that are taking place in power circles in Nigeria nowadays.”
The comments triggered reactions among guests at the event, many of whom laughed as the Vice President narrated the experience.
Beyond the personal story, Shettima used his speech to praise Gowon for his contributions to national unity and reconciliation after the Nigerian civil war.
He described the former military leader as one of the few surviving figures from Nigeria’s early post-independence era whose legacy still commands national respect.
According to him, Gowon’s autobiography serves as an important reminder of the country’s history and the need for unity among Nigerians.
“Shettima said General Gowon belongs to the category of leaders whose impact remains long after leaving office.
“There are people who are remembered before they leave office,” he said.
“There are others whose memory endures because office became, in their hands, an instrument of national meaning. General Gowon belongs to the second company.”
The Vice President also highlighted some of Gowon’s major achievements, including the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, after the civil war as a tool for promoting national unity and reconciliation among young Nigerians.
He also praised Gowon’s role in the formation of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.
Shettima further spoke about the need for peace in Plateau State and other conflict-prone parts of the country.
With Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang present at the event, the Vice President urged Nigerians to resist forces trying to divide the country along ethnic and religious lines.
He stressed that many communities involved in violent conflicts share historical, cultural and family ties and should embrace dialogue instead of violence.
In closing, Shettima quoted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., urging Nigerians to remain united despite political and social differences.
“Let us learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” he stated.