Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that some individuals allegedly warned President Bola Tinubu against wearing traditional Borno attire he gifted him during the 2023 presidential campaign, claiming the clothes were spiritually manipulated and could lead to the President’s death.
Shettima disclosed this on Tuesday during the public presentation of former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography titled My Life of Duty and Allegiance in Abuja.
According to the Vice President, the incident happened barely three months after Tinubu assumed office as President.
He explained that during the campaign period ahead of the 2023 elections, he had sourced traditional Borno garments and a cap for Tinubu to wear while meeting northern supporters.
Shettima said Tinubu embraced the attire throughout the campaign after aides confirmed the clothes fitted him properly.
However, the Vice President said some people later approached Tinubu with claims that the dresses were used to charm him and that he could die, paving the way for Shettima to become president.
Recalling the conversation, Shettima said Tinubu summoned him shortly after he returned from China, where he represented Nigeria at the Belt and Road Initiative Conference in October 2023.
“When I came back from China, he said: ‘Sit down. Your people came to me and said I should stop wearing those dresses you gave me. They said I must have been charmed, and that I am going to die and you will become the president,’” Shettima recounted.
According to him, Tinubu immediately dismissed the allegation, pointing out that the claims made no sense because at the time the clothes were given, neither of them had secured the APC ticket.
“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 added that Tinubu deliberately continued wearing the outfits for one week to demonstrate that he was not influenced by superstition or political manipulation.
“For one week, to prove to them that he is not a fetish, he wore those dresses,” Shettima said.
He described the incident as part of the “gimmicks” and growing atmosphere of suspicion within Nigeria’s political space.
Shettima contrasted the situation with stories shared by the Sultan of Sokoto about former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, who reportedly accepted weekly deliveries of fura from Sokoto to Dodan Barracks without suspicion.
According to him, distrust and conspiracy theories have increasingly replaced the spirit of unity and confidence that once existed among Nigerians.
The Vice President praised Gowon for promoting national unity, citing initiatives such as the National Youth Service Corps and the formation of the Economic Community of West African States.
He urged Nigerians to resist divisive narratives and embrace peaceful coexistence.
Quoting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Shettima said Nigerians must “learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
