Vice President Kashim Shettima stated that he was the "most demonized" individual during former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration.
He mentioned that the president at the time proposed removing him from his position as Borno State governor, but Mohammed Adoke, who was then Attorney General of the Federation, halted this plan.
Shettima delivered a speech on Thursday in Abuja during the public unveiling of Adoke's memoir, titled "OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block."
The former governor of Borno stated that Adoke courageously informed Jonathan he lacked the constitutional authority to remove an elected official, such as a councillor or a governor.
Shettima served as governor of the insurgency-affected northeastern state from May 2011 to May 2019.
At the height of the insurgency on December 31, 2011, Jonathan announced a state of emergency in select local governments within Borno and Plateau states.
Approximately 18 months later, on May 14, 2013, Jonathan declared a state of emergency across the terrorism-stricken states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. However, he refrained from suspending any governors in these regions.
Ironically, on March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State due to an ongoing political crisis. As part of this action, Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy Ngozi Odu; and all members of the House of Assembly were suspended for six months.
Tinubu promptly appointed former naval chief Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the administrator responsible for managing the affairs of the oil-rich Niger Delta state, a move that has been criticized by many thought leaders.
In contrast, the current Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, defended the suspension of Fubara, along with his deputy and members of the state's legislature, unlike Adoke's.
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