Vice-President Kashim Shettima has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan once tried to remove him from office while he was serving as governor of Borno State.
Shettima shared this story on Thursday during a book launch in Abuja. The book, OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigeria Oil Block, was written by former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN).
Shettima governed Borno State from 2011 to 2019, during a time when the region was heavily affected by Boko Haram insurgency. In 2013, President Jonathan declared a state of emergency across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states to tackle rising insecurity.
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According to Shettima, Jonathan tried to use the crisis as a reason to remove him from office.
“Former President Goodluck Jonathan, with whom we have now made peace, was muting the idea of removing this Borno governor,” Shettima said, referring to himself.
He said Aminu Tambuwal, who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, stood up to Jonathan and defended democracy.
“Tambiuwal had the courage to tell the President: Your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor,” Shettima recalled.
Shettima said Jonathan wasn’t convinced and raised the issue again at the Federal Executive Council. At that point, Mohammed Adoke, the then Attorney-General, stepped in.
“He told the President: Mr President, you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor—not even a councillor,” Shettima said.
He added that another legal expert in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, agreed with Adoke’s advice.
“That was how the matter was laid to rest,” Shettima said.
Shettima praised Adoke for his boldness and strong principles.
“That was how my relationship with Mr Adoke and Aminu Tambuwal became eternally sealed,” he said.
The Vice-President also described himself as one of the most attacked public figures during Jonathan’s final years in office, saying he was “the most demonized individual” during that time.