Vice-President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that some unnamed individuals allegedly tried to create suspicion between him and President Bola Tinubu shortly after they assumed office in 2023 by accusing him of plotting to assassinate the president and take over power.

Shettima made the revelation during the public presentation of My Life of Duty and Allegiance, the autobiography of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon.

According to the vice-president, the individuals behind the allegation were from his home state of Borno, although he declined to mention their identities.

“Three months after we were sworn in, some people told Tinubu that I was planning to kill him and take over power,” Shettima said.

He explained that President Tinubu later invited him for a discussion over the allegation but quickly dismissed the claims after noticing contradictions in the narrative.

“The President called me and said, ‘Sit down! Your people came to me and said I should stop wearing your clothes,’” Shettima recounted.

The vice-president said the controversy centred on traditional clothes he gifted Tinubu before the 2023 presidential election.

According to him, the accusers alleged that the clothes had been spiritually manipulated and were intended to harm the president after the election.

However, Shettima said Tinubu rejected the claim after pointing out that at the time the clothes were given, neither of them knew they would emerge as president and vice-president.

“He said when you gave me those clothes, I was only an aspirant. I was not yet the candidate, and you were not going to be vice-president,” Shettima said.

The vice-president added that despite the warnings, Tinubu continued wearing the clothes because he did not believe in such claims.

“Some people later told him I wanted to use the clothes to kill him and take over power, but Tinubu still wore them because he is not fetish,” he added.

Shettima used the occasion to call for unity among Nigerians, warning against promoting suspicion, division and political distrust.

The event drew several political leaders, former military officers and government officials who gathered to honour Gowon’s contributions to Nigeria’s history and national development.