The Presidency has refuted media reports claiming that Vice President Kashim Shettima was recently denied access to the Presidential Villa, describing the claim as “totally fabricated” and “a wild expression of wishful thinking.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, April 19, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, accused certain unnamed blogs of orchestrating a “deliberate and well-planned campaign of falsehood” targeted at sowing confusion and suggesting disunity within the Presidency.
‘’The latest in this string of disinformation is a report claiming that the Vice President has been refused entry to the Villa. This is a feeble attempt to traduce the person and office of His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, GCON. For the record, NOTHING OF THE SORT EVER HAPPENED.”
Nkwocha dismissed the allegations of armed military barricades and restricted access to the Vice President as not only “baseless,” but also “so far removed from reality that it can only be entertained by those unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Nigerian government.
‘’The recent publication by some obscure blogs alleging that armed military units have barricaded the Vice President from accessing the Presidential Villa is not only the wildest expression of wishful thinking but a clear indication that the purveyors of these tales have exhausted both ink and imagination. It is a story so far removed from reality that it can only be entertained by those unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Nigerian government.”
It further noted that earlier in the week, the Presidency had similarly discredited reports about campaign posters bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for the 2027 elections, labelling them as another desperate attempt to stoke political tension.
“It is understandable, though regrettable, that the mischief-makers continue to underestimate the strength of the bond and goodwill between the President and the Vice President,” Nkwocha said. “These fairy tales serve no purpose beyond mischief and distraction.”
Reaffirming the Vice President’s commitment to his duties, the Presidency said Shettima remained focused on supporting President Tinubu to deliver on the administration’s agenda, and would not be drawn into what it called a “media circus.”