Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, has raised concerns about the President’s ongoing silence over speculation that Vice President Kashim Shettima might be dropped ahead of the 2027 general election.
Although the next election is still two years away, persistent rumours have suggested that Tinubu may be considering a new running mate, possibly a Northern Christian, to balance political dynamics.
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In response to the speculation, presidential aide Bayo Onanuga earlier dismissed the rumour in a June interview, labeling it a ‘non-issue.’ He also clarified that any decision on a running mate would be made only after President Tinubu secures the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination.
However, appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed, who stepped down from his advisory post about three months ago, said the President’s silence is unsettling and may give credence to the rumours.
“I would be very curious to find out what it is that makes all these stories about dropping him (Shettima). I think, somewhere along the line, to be honest, the President should have done something a long time ago,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“If all these stories about dropping the Vice President for somebody else, another Northern Vice President, maybe a Christian, maybe from somewhere else — have absolutely no iota of truth, it would have taken just one thing: the President directly and personally saying, ‘Stop this nonsense. 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.”
He went further to underscore the importance of a direct and unambiguous clarification from the President himself.
“4It’s worrying, let me just say it is 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.”
