The Labour Party has commended Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks on President Bola Tinubu’s controversial suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, describing the vice president’s covert condemnation as a demonstration of candour.

The opposition party’s thumbs up for Mr Shettima came after the vice president on Thursday recounted how former President Goodluck Jonathan tried to remove him as Borno governor, suggesting Mr Tinubu lacked the power to suspend Mr Fubara.

In a statement on Saturday by its acting chairman, Nenadi Usman, the LP commended Mr Shettima for his “rare moment of honesty” in speaking truth to power, particularly in drawing his boss’ attention to the dictates of the law.

“We commend Vice President Shettima for his rare moment of honesty in drawing attention to what was clearly an unconstitutional act – the illegal removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara earlier in March under the pretext of political chaos and breakdown of law and order by President Bola Tinubu,” the party said.

The party alleged undue pressure on the vice president to retract his words, after the presidency claimed on Friday that Mr Shettima’s remarks at the book launch had no connection to the Rivers State political crisis.

It stated that the pressure on the vice-president reflected the human rights climate under Mr Tinubu’s administration. It dismissed the clarification as a clumsy attempt to distance Mr Shettima’s remarks from the current situation in Rivers.

“Vice President Shettima’s acknowledgement of that principled stance, particularly as it related to his own tenure as governor of Borno State, was a refreshing demonstration of candour until a follow-up statement from his office attempted, rather clumsily, to distance his remarks from the current situation in Rivers State.

“However, what is deeply troubling is the speed and intensity with which the vice president has been compelled to walk back his words. The question must be asked: Who is intimidating the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? ” the Labour Party queried.

The opposition party said it was disingenuous for the vice president’s handlers to pretend to be unaware that Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which governs the declaration of a state of emergency, had not changed since 2013. It faulted Mr Tinubu for suspending Mr Fubara against the law.

It added, “If someone of Shettima’s stature – armed with immunity from prosecution and other ancillary protections of his office – cannot freely express a factual opinion without being coerced into a retraction, then it is a damning reflection of the human rights climate under the current administration. Indeed, it is no surprise that Nigeria continues to plunge to the bottom of human rights rankings across Africa.”

The opposition party urged Mr Tinubu and others working behind the scenes not to intimidate the vice president, adding it was disrespectful to the Nigerian constitution.

“We reiterate our appreciation to Vice President Shettima for speaking truth to power, even if momentarily. But we strongly urge those pulling strings behind the scenes to cease and desist from undermining the dignity of the office of the Vice President.

“It is not only disrespectful to the man, but also to the institution he represents and to the Constitution he swore to uphold,” the statement cautioned.