A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has expressed serious concerns over what he describes as the diminished role of Vice President Kashim Shettima in the current administration.

Eze, the erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), criticized President Bola Tinubu's administration for allegedly reducing the Vice President to merely attending social functions rather than performing substantive governmental duties.

"As much as I am not a supporter of Vice President Kashim Shettima, I must state as a concerned Nigerian that I am not happy with the way and manner such a highly profiled politician is being treated by this administration and turning such a highly respected politician to an agent of government solely for attending wedding and burial ceremonies. This is sad, unfortunate and unacceptable," Eze stated.

The APC chieftain particularly took issue with President Tinubu's failure to hand over power to Vice President Shettima during his numerous international trips over the past two years, describing this practice as unconstitutional.

"He may not have the courage to voice out his frustration but the fact remains that for the two years that he has serviced as the Vice President of this country and the number of times that President Tinubu has traveled outside this country, Mr President has not found it fit and needful to handover power to the Vice President," Eze remarked.

He further emphasized that such actions not only undermine the office of the Vice President but also contravene "the spirit and letters of the Constitution of this country."

Eze warned that the Vice Presidency is an "exalted position that should not be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency," suggesting that the current treatment of Shettima represents a concerning pattern in the administration's governance approach.

The criticism comes amid growing scrutiny of the power dynamics within Nigeria's executive branch, with some political observers noting increasing tensions between various factions within the ruling party.

Neither the Presidency nor Vice President Shettima's office has responded to these allegations at the time of reporting.