A former political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has voiced his concerns regarding the president’s lack of response to rumors indicating a potential decision to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima in advance of the 2027 election.
Despite the fact that the 2027 election is still two years away, there have been circulating rumors about a supposed scheme to remove Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Tinubu’s running mate.
In a June interview, amidst the peak of the speculation, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the assertion as a ‘non-issue,’ asserting that President Tinubu would select his running mate only after he has accepted the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination. Baba-Ahmed, who stepped down from his role in the Tinubu administration approximately three months ago, remarked that the President ought to have personally refuted the rumor if it was indeed a ‘non-issue.’
“I would be very curious to discover what prompts all these narratives about replacing him (Shettima). I believe that, at some point, the President should have taken action much earlier,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
“If all these narratives regarding the replacement of the Vice President with another Northern Vice President, possibly a Christian, or someone from a different background — are entirely unfounded, it would have required just one action: the President directly and personally declaring, ‘Cease this nonsense. I have confidence in my Vice President, I collaborate effectively with him, I am satisfied with him, and I want this nonsense about me replacing him, now or in the future, to cease.’
‘I will make a decision regarding my running mate in 2027 when the time comes. In the meantime, we have work to accomplish.’ However, he did not articulate that. His representatives did not convey that.”
He further stated, “It is concerning, let me emphasize that it is concerning. If my sentiments reflect the President’s true thoughts, he should have expressed them.
