FCT, Abuja - Vice President Kashim Shettima has opened up about how former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly attempted to remove him as the Governor of Borno state.

The former governor also revealed that he was only saved by the intervention of key public officials who insisted that Jonathan lacked the constitutional powers to do so.

Shettima spoke on Tuesday, July 7, in Abuja during the public presentation of the memoir “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block” authored by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).

Furthermore, Shettima recounted how the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, told Jonathan outrightly that even the president had no power to remove an elected councillor, let alone a sitting governor.

Shettima praised Adoke and another cabinet member, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), for defending the rule of law.

According to him, Jonathan brought up the idea of removing him at the Federal Executive Council, but Adoke courageously opposed it.

“He told the president that he had no constitutional power to remove a governor, not even a councillor,” Shettima said.

Turaki, who was also consulted, agreed with Adoke’s position, effectively bringing the matter to a close.

“That was how my relationship with Adoke and Tambuwal became eternally sealed,” the vice president said.

Also speaking at the event, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, lamented that key officers of his administration were subjected to a targeted manhunt by the succeeding government.

He cited Adoke’s ordeal as a clear example, saying:

“Today, Adoke is alive and healthy, and he is here to tell his story,” Anyim said.

The event, which attracted several dignitaries including the governors of Oyo and Kaduna states, Seyi Makinde and Nasir El-Rufai, turned into a broader reflection on Nigeria’s governance, accountability, and transparency, Vanguard reported.

Former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, commended Adoke for telling his side of the story and urged other public servants to do the same.

“We don’t try it enough in this country. We don’t pass enough of our experiences, both good and bad, to the next generation,” he said.

He also described Adoke as one of the people who persuaded Jonathan to concede defeat in the 2015 elections, an action he said should be commended rather than punished.

In his own remarks, the author, Mohammed Bello Adoke, said his intention was not to attack anyone but to set the record straight, This Day reported.

He maintained that he was only carrying out presidential directives lawfully and decried the damaging role of anti-corruption campaigners who he claimed manipulated the process to destroy reputations.

“Although I was not a party to the 2006 agreement, I suffered immense public shame and loss for implementing a lawful directive in 2011,” Adoke said.

He expressed forgiveness toward all those involved in his ordeal, even commending former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu for apologising to him in private.

“I have forgiven all those who had a hand in my ordeal. I admired the courage of Magu in coming forward to make up with me,” he added.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former political adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has clarified the alleged rift in the presidency.

Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned as the presidential aide, responded to the question on the claim that Shettima was being systematically sidelined in the presidency.

He said he did not notice any rift between Tinubu and Shettima when he was serving in that office.

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Source: Legit.ng