title: Kirkuk governor says Iraqi parliament vote to remove him 'unlawful'
text: KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - The governor of Iraq s oil-rich Kirkuk province condemned a vote by Iraq s parliament on Thursday to remove him from office as  unlawful  and vowed to stay in power. The decision to remove Najmaddin Kareem came after Kirkuk - claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq - voted to take part in a referendum set for Sept. 25 on Kurdish independence.      I will stay in office,  Kareem told Reuters, hours after the parliamentary vote... The referendum will go ahead as planned.  