Yemi Obafemi
A former political adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has expressed concern over the President’s continued silence regarding widespread rumours suggesting an alleged plan to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from his role in the Tinubu administration about three months ago, described the speculation as damaging and called on the President to issue a clear and direct statement to put the matter to rest.
“I would be very curious to know what’s fuelling all these stories about dropping the Vice President,” Baba-Ahmed said. “To be honest, the President should have addressed this a long time ago.”
He continued: “If there is absolutely no truth to these claims—about replacing Shettima with another northern vice president, possibly a Christian or someone from another region—then it would have only required one thing: for the President to personally say, ‘Stop this nonsense. I have confidence in my Vice President. I work well with him. I’m happy with him. This talk of dropping him, now or in the future, must end.’”
Baba-Ahmed noted that a clear public statement from President Tinubu would have settled the matter and reassured both the public and the political class.
“Even if he plans to make that decision in 2027, he could simply say, ‘I will decide on my running mate when the time comes. For now, we have a country to run.’ But he hasn’t said that. His aides haven’t said it either.”
At the peak of the speculation in June, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the rumour as a “non-issue,” clarifying that the President would choose his running mate only after securing the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination.
However, Baba-Ahmed insists that such a dismissal falls short of what the situation requires.
“It’s worrying,” he said. “If what I’ve said aligns with what the President believes, then he should have said it. If he disagrees, he should find a way to say so. But it must come from him—directly and emphatically.”
