By Chinelo Obogo
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to remove him from office when he was the governor of Borno State.
Speaking on Thursday during the public presentation of Mohammed Bello Adoke’s book ‘OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3BN Nigerian Oil Block’, Shettima stated that even though Jonathan was floated the idea of removing him from office, he said it was the then speaker of the House of Representatives, and Aminu Tambuwal, who cautioned against it.
He said: “Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was floating the idea of removing this Borno governor (pointing at himself), and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, had the courage to tell the president: You don’t have the power to remove an elected councilor.
“The president was still unconvinced, he mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council, Mr Mohammed Adoke told the president: You do not have the power to remove a sitting governor,” the vice-president said. “
He said they sought the opinion of another lawyer in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who also cautioned against it.