Baba-Ahmed Slams Tinubu’s Silence On Rumoured Plan To Drop Shettima
Former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has faulted President Bola Tinubu for keeping quiet on speculations that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be replaced ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned as Special Adviser on Political Affairs in the office of the Vice President, said Tinubu should have personally and publicly dismissed the growing narrative about dropping Shettima.
He noted that recent political developments, including the endorsement of Tinubu for a second term at a chaotic APC stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe without mention of Shettima, had fuelled the rumours.
While presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had dismissed the speculation as a non-issue, insisting Tinubu would decide his running mate after the party’s convention, Baba-Ahmed said this was inadequate.
Speaking on Channels Television, he said, “I would be very curious to find out what it is that makes all these stories about dropping him (Shettima). I think the president should have done something a long time ago.
“If these stories about dropping the vice president have no truth, it would have taken just one thing: the president directly and personally saying, ‘Stop this nonsense.’”
He stressed that Tinubu should have clearly expressed confidence in Shettima and put the matter to rest.
“I have confidence in my vice president, I work well with him, I am happy with him, and I want this nonsense about me dropping him now or in the future to stop. I will take a decision on who my running mate is in 2027 when we get there. In the meantime, we have work to do.
“But he didn’t say that. His people didn’t say that,” Baba-Ahmed added.
He described Tinubu’s silence as deeply unsettling, saying, “It’s worrying. If what I have said is exactly what the president thinks, he should have said it. If he doesn’t say it the way I have, he should have found a way, but it should come from him, it should be direct, and it must be emphatic.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
