Vice President Shettima Accuses Former President Jonathan of Plotting His Removal as Borno Governor, Praises Adoke and Tambuwal for Upholding Constitution
Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed a previously undisclosed political plot during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, claiming that an attempt was made to oust him from his position as the Governor of Borno State. The effort, he said, was thwarted by two key political figures: Mohammed Bello Adoke, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Shettima made the revelation on Thursday in Abuja during the public presentation of Adoke’s memoir, titled “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block.” The book launch, attended by high-profile political, legal, and industry figures, also shed light on the controversial 2011 Malabu oil deal.
“In the last four years of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, I was the most demonised person; I was the public enemy number one,” Shettima told a room packed with dignitaries and guests.
Shettima, who governed Borno State from 2011 to 2019, detailed a behind-the-scenes effort at the highest levels of government to remove him from office amid the Boko Haram insurgency crisis in the North-East.
“There are two gentlemen seated here,” Shettima said, pointing to Adoke and Tambuwal. “Certain decisions are taken in a very rare peace circle – the President, the Vice President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In one such conclave, former President Goodluck Jonathan, with whom we have now sheathed the sword and recalibrated our relationship, was muting the idea of removing this Borno governor.”
According to Shettima, Tambuwal courageously objected to the plan during the private meeting, reminding President Jonathan of the constitutional limits of his authority.
“Aminu Tambuwal had the courage to tell the President: ‘Your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor,’” he recalled.
Still, the issue escalated to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), where Adoke, then Attorney-General, firmly stood his ground.
“He (Adoke) told the then President, ‘Mr. President, you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor, not even a councillor,’” Shettima recounted. “They sought the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who concurred with Adoke. That was how the matter was laid to rest.”
The Vice President said the episode cemented a personal bond between him, Adoke, and Tambuwal, commending their commitment to constitutional governance.
“I am proud to be here to honour Adoke – a man of courage, conviction, and capacity,” Shettima said. “He stood for what was right, even when it was politically inconvenient.”
He also praised Adoke’s decision to pen the memoir and show magnanimity toward those who once opposed him. The memoir, which chronicles Adoke’s perspective on the contentious OPL 245 deal involving Royal Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni—who paid $1.3 billion to acquire the oil block believed to hold nine billion barrels of crude—serves as both a political document and a legal reflection on Nigeria’s governance and resource management.
Reflecting more broadly on justice and leadership, Shettima remarked, “Life itself is litigation with no final adjournment in the pursuit of justice,” a line that earned applause from attendees.
The event drew top political stakeholders, legal professionals, and figures in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, highlighting not only the Malabu scandal but also the often unseen struggles behind governance and accountability in Nigeria’s democratic history.
