Some People Warned Tinubu Against Wearing Clothes I Gave Him — Shettima

 

Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that some individuals once warned President Bola Tinubu against wearing traditional outfits he gave him during the 2023 election campaign, claiming the clothes had been “charmed” and could lead to Tinubu’s death. 

Shettima made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja while representing President Tinubu at the public presentation of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance. 

According to the Vice President, the incident occurred barely three months after the Tinubu administration was inaugurated in 2023. He said some people from Borno State visited the President and advised him to stop wearing the traditional northern attire Shettima had earlier sourced for him during campaign tours across Northern Nigeria. 

“They said I must have charmed the clothes and that he was going to die and I would become president,” Shettima recounted. 

The Vice President explained that Tinubu dismissed the allegation and insisted the claim made no sense because, at the time the clothes were given to him, both men were only aspirants and not yet running mates. 

According to Shettima, Tinubu deliberately continued wearing the outfits for about a week to publicly reject the rumours and demonstrate that he was not influenced by superstition or suspicion. 

Shettima said he shared the story to highlight what he described as the growing culture of distrust and suspicion in Nigerian political circles. He contrasted the situation with earlier periods in the country’s history when leaders across religious and ethnic divides related with greater trust. 

During the event, the Vice President referenced how the family of the Sultan of Sokoto once sent food items regularly to former Head of State Yakubu Gowon without fears or suspicion, describing it as evidence of stronger national unity in earlier years. 

The remarks have since generated widespread reactions on social media and within political circles, with many Nigerians debating the level of mistrust, power struggles, and political intrigues surrounding the country’s leadership.