: How Tambuwal, Adoke Stopped Jonathan from Removing Me – Shettima
Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan once considered removing him as Governor of Borno State, but was firmly stopped by legal and constitutional resistance from former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigeria Oil Block—a book authored by Adoke—Shettima described himself as “the most demonised person” during the last four years of Jonathan’s presidency.
“In the last four years of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, I was the most demonised person. I was public enemy number one,” he said.
Shettima recounted a confidential meeting involving the President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House, where Jonathan allegedly raised the idea of removing him as governor. It was Tambuwal, according to Shettima, who bluntly rejected the plan, stating: “Your Excellency, you don’t have the power to remove an elected councillor.”
The matter was reportedly taken to the Federal Executive Council, where Adoke reinforced Tambuwal’s position. “He told the President, ‘Mr. President, you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor, not even a councillor.’ They even sought a second opinion from another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who concurred,” Shettima said.
Observers say the Vice President’s remarks, while delivered in the context of past political events, appear to be a subtle but pointed message amid current tensions within the Tinubu administration. President Bola Tinubu has faced heavy criticism over what many describe as the unconstitutional removal of the Rivers State governor and state assembly through a controversial declaration of a state of emergency. Though the presidency has not formally acknowledged such action, the situation has raised concerns about executive overreach.
Shettima’s statement, particularly the emphasis on legal limits to presidential authority, is being widely interpreted as a veiled critique of Tinubu’s handling of internal power struggles.
Rumours of a frosty relationship between the President and his Vice have persisted in recent months, with growing speculation that Tinubu may be considering a different running mate for the 2027 election. Shettima’s recent comments are now being viewed in that context, especially as they highlight past loyalty to constitutional norms and the independence of elected offices.
Despite the underlying tensions, Shettima praised Adoke for his integrity and for choosing forgiveness over resentment. “I want to commend him for having the grace to forgive,” he said.
The book presented at the event focuses on the controversial OPL 245 deal—also known as the Malabu oil scandal—detailing the $1.3 billion transaction between Royal Dutch Shell, Italy’s Eni, and the Nigerian government in 2011. The oil block at the heart of the deal is believed to contain up to nine billion barrels of crude.