Abuja, Nigeria – Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that he was the most vilified public official during the final four years of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Speaking on Thursday at the public unveiling of the book “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigeria Oil Block” authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, Shettima recounted the intense political hostility he faced during that period.
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“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 declared.
Shettima, who served as the Governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019, shared details of a behind-the-scenes political move allegedly aimed at his removal. According to him, former President Jonathan once considered removing him from office during a high-level meeting of national leaders.
“There are two gentlemen seated here. 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,” he said.
“In one of such conclaves, 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.”
Shettima went on to commend Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, for standing up to the President during the alleged meeting.
“Aminu Tambuwal had the courage to tell the President, ‘Your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor,’” he stated.
Despite the political turbulence of the past, Shettima noted that his relationship with Jonathan has since improved, describing it as “recalibrated.”
