Vice-President Kashim Shettima has recounted how former President Goodluck Jonathan tried to remove him as governor of Borno State.
Shettima spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the public presentation of a book titled ‘OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigeria Oil Block’, authored by former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN.
Shettima stated that during the final four years of Jonathan’s administration, he was the most demonized individual and was seen as public enemy number one.
“There are two gentlemen seated here. Certain decisions are taken in a very rare circle. The President, the Vice President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“In one of such conclaves, former President Goodluck Jonathan with whom we have sheathed the sword and have now recalibrated our relationship was muting the idea of removing this Borno governor.
“Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives had the courage to tell the President that your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor.
“The President was still not convinced, he muted the idea at the Federal Executive Council,” Shettima said.
The Vice-President also praise Adoke for his courage, conviction and unwavering commitment to his principles.
“He (Mr Adoke) told the then President that Mr President you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor not even a councillor.
“They sought for the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who said ‘I’m concurring with the opinion of my senior colleague’.
“That was how the matter was laid to rest but that was how my relationship with Mr Adoke and Aminu Tambuwal became eternally sealed.”
Shettima also commended Adoke for the courage to forgive all those who had offended him in the course of his public duty.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 26-chapter book on the OPL 245, also known as Malabu oil deal scandal, centres on a 2011 agreement in which Royal Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni paid $1.3 billion to acquire Nigeria’s deep-water oil licence.
The oil block is believed to hold nine billion barrels of crude.
