By all appearances, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima remains loyal to President Bola Tinubu. But recent remarks have raised eyebrows and questions.

This is because at a book launch at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, Shettima delivered what many assumed would be a straightforward tribute. 

The event was held to unveil OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigeria Oil Block, a memoir by former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke. Instead, what emerged was a pointed reflection on power, legality, and leadership, a speech that may have said more than it seemed on the surface.

Shettima, known for his calm delivery and measured tone, used the opportunity to revisit a moment from 2014 when he narrowly escaped removal as Governor of Borno State under then-President Goodluck Jonathan. 

The attempted ouster, he claimed, was blocked only because Adoke, then the Attorney General, insisted that such a move would be unconstitutional.

That story, although anchored in history, felt strikingly current. At a time when President Tinubu’s administration is facing criticism over its handling of the Rivers State crisis particularly the controversial suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Shettima’s decision to spotlight a case where legal counsel reined in executive overreach cannot be ignored.

Is this a political signal?

Why, many asked, is Shettima suddenly bringing up a decade-old political crisis? Why now?

To some observers, the answer is simple: the Vice President was drawing a line, subtle but firm on the importance of constitutional boundaries. 

By praising Adoke’s courage in standing up to a sitting president, Shettima appeared to be inviting comparison with today’s political situation, where Tinubu’s moves in Rivers are seen by critics as exceeding constitutional limits.

At one point, Shettima called Adoke a “paragon of indomitable courage.” Coming from a high-ranking official in an administration accused of suppressing state autonomy, that phrase carried weight. It felt less like flattery and more like a rebuke—however carefully worded.

Is the vice president making his position clear?

In Nigeria’s unforgiving political terrain, where silence is often taken as consent, even subtle statements can be explosive. Shettima’s emphasis on rule of law, unity across party lines, and democratic integrity may be less about the past and more about where he stands today.

He joked about party affiliations, “Are you in ADC or APC or PDP? Only God knows”, but even his humour seemed loaded with meaning. It suggested that political identity may be fluid, that alliances can shift, and that unity might one day matter more than party loyalty.

In other words, it’s not just about what Shettima said, it’s what he chose not to say. There was no ringing endorsement of Tinubu’s handling of Rivers. No reassurance of undivided loyalty. Just a reminder that, once upon a time, constitutional order was upheld, and political ambition was tempered by legal wisdom.

Of course, there’s no official indication that Shettima is breaking ranks. But Nigeria’s political history is full of partnerships that began in harmony and ended in rivalry. 

Vice presidents often walk a tightrope too quiet, and they fade into irrelevance; too bold, and they risk open confrontation.

For now, Shettima’s approach seems to be one of strategic subtlety. He’s reminding the public and perhaps his boss, that he values constitutionalism, legal counsel, and unity above all. 

And in doing so, he may be quietly carving out his own political space, one cautious sentence at a time.