The Presidency has strongly denied reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima, GCON, was denied access to the Presidential Villa, describing the claims as “false,” “mischievous,” and part of a wider campaign of disinformation aimed at sowing discord within the highest levels of government.
In a statement issued on Saturday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the Presidency dismissed the reports as baseless fabrications circulated by obscure blogs and purveyors of fake news.
“The claim that armed military units barred the Vice President from entering the Villa is entirely false and a product of overactive imaginations,” the statement read. “Nothing of the sort ever happened,” he said.
The statement further described the reports as a continuation of a “deliberate and well-planned orchestration of falsehood” targeting Vice President Shettima and the Presidency at large. It accused unnamed individuals of attempting to mislead the public and fabricate conflict between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his deputy.
The Presidency reiterated that both leaders remain united and committed to the nation’s development agenda, dismissing the “media circus” as a distraction unworthy of response.
Earlier this week, the Presidency also discredited separate reports alleging internal conflict over the circulation of campaign posters featuring President Tinubu, labeling them similarly as fake news.
The statement concluded by urging the public to disregard such stories and encouraged the media to verify claims from credible sources. It also commended Nigerians for standing against misinformation and supporting the administration’s constitutional mandate.
