Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (born 12 June 1962) was Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

's justice minister

Justice Minister

A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...

 from July 2007

2007 in politics

-January:* January 1 - Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union.* January 1 - South Korea's Ban Ki-moon becomes the new UN Secretary-General, replacing Kofi Annan....

 to 10 February 2010.

Background

Michael Kaase Aondoakaa was born in Benue on 12 June 1962. He attended the University of Maiduguri

University of Maiduguri

The University of Maiduguri is located in Maiduguri, a city in Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government in 1975, with the intention of its becoming one of the country's principal higher-education institutions...

, where he studied law. He became a senior partner of a law firm

Law firm

A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...

 for 18 years.
While helping two of his friends, Ogiri Ajene, former deputy governor of Benue State and Professor Daniel Saror

Daniel Saror

Daniel Iyorkegh Saror was elected Senator for the Benue North East constituency of Benue State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democratic Party platform...

 to secure nomination for ministerial appointment, he was invited to meet President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria and the 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May...

, and during the interview was offered the post of Attorney General until February 10, 2010 when he was removed in controversial circumstances by the Acting President Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...

.

Attorney general

He was appointed Minister of Justice on 26 July 2007. He was a member of a sub-committee to review the report of Justice Mohammed Uwais

Mohammed Uwais

Mohammed Lawal Uwais was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1995 until 2006. Later he chaired a commission that published a controversial report on electoral reform.Uwais is the son of the Chief Alkali, and later Waziri of Zaria emirate....

 committee on electoral reform. The sub-committee assisted in producing a white paper which sparked controversy because it reversed some recommendations of the Uwais committee. It recommended that the President continue to appoint the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission

Independent National Electoral Commission

The Independent National Electoral Commission , set up in 1998, is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria.The INEC has encountered several controversies in the run-up to the April 2007 general elections, including criticism about its preparedness from Sada Abubakar,...

 (INEC), among other changes.

He opposed sacking Maurice Iwu

Maurice Iwu

Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu is a Nigerian Professor of Pharmacognosy who was appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in June 2005, and was removed from office in April 2010.-Background:...

, chairman of INEC, despite criticism of Iwu's conduct of the 2007 elections. He objected to the dissolution of local governments in Ondo State

Ondo State

Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...

 by Olusegun Mimiko

Olusegun Mimiko

Olusegun Mimiko is the current governor of Ondo State, Nigeria. He was born on 3 October 1954, to Pa and Mrs. Atiku Bamidele Mimiko of Ondo, Ondo State. His great, great grandfather was the High Chief Adaja Gbegbaje of Ondo. His great grandfather, Chief Akinmeji, was the distinguished Ruwase of...

, the new governor, although a High Court in Ondo supported the action.

The United States diplomatic cables leak

United States diplomatic cables leak

The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began in February 2010 when WikiLeaks—a non-profit organization that publishes submissions from anonymous whistleblowers—began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates,...

 turned out that the drug company Pfizer

Pfizer

Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...

had hired private investigators to find evidence against Aondoakaa to pressure him into dropping charges against the company over claims that a new antibiotic had caused harm to children.