Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that shortly after taking office, some individuals allegedly warned President Bola Tinubu against wearing traditional outfits gifted to him during the 2023 campaign, claiming the clothes had been spiritually manipulated and could lead to his death.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, Shettima said the President dismissed the claims and deliberately continued wearing the outfits for seven straight days to prove he was not superstitious.
According to the Vice President, the warning came after he returned from representing Tinubu at the Belt and Road Initiative Conference in China.
“Shettima, your people came to me and said I should stop wearing those dresses you gave me. They said I had been charmed and that I would die so you could become president,” Tinubu allegedly told him.
Shettima said the accusation made no sense because when the outfits were gifted, neither he nor Tinubu had secured the APC presidential ticket.
“To prove he was not fetish or controlled by superstition, he wore those dresses for one week,” Shettima said, describing the episode as one of the “gimmicks” now common in Nigeria’s political circles.
The Vice President used the story to lament growing mistrust in the country’s political environment, contrasting it with what he described as the era of trust during Gowon’s leadership.
He recalled how the Sultan of Sokoto’s family regularly sent gallons of fura to Gowon at Dodan Barracks without fear or suspicion — a level of confidence he said has faded in modern politics.
Shettima also praised Gowon for promoting national unity after the civil war, highlighting his role in establishing the NYSC and helping to form ECOWAS.
Quoting civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., he urged Nigerians to reject division and embrace unity.
“Let us learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” he said.
