Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has criticised the President for remaining silent on ongoing rumours suggesting plans to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Although the next election is still two years away, speculation has persisted about a possible shake-up in the presidential ticket.
In June, Tinubu’s media aide Bayo Onanuga dismissed the claims as irrelevant, stating the President would choose a running mate only after securing the APC nomination.
However, Baba-Ahmed, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, argued that such rumours, if untrue, warranted a direct rebuttal from Tinubu himself.
“I would be very curious to know what is fueling these persistent stories about dropping Shettima. Frankly, the President should have addressed this a long time ago,” he said.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Tinubu could have easily shut down the rumours by affirming his support for Shettima in a clear public statement.
“If there’s no truth to the speculation—whether it’s about replacing him with another northern vice president, a Christian, or someone else—it would’ve taken just one statement.
‘I have full confidence in my Vice President. We work well together. These rumours should stop.’
But the President didn’t say that. None of his close aides said it either.”
He added that the silence on the issue was “worrying” and stressed that such a message needed to come directly from the President and in unambiguous terms.
“If my comments reflect the President’s actual position, then he should say so himself. If not in these exact words, then at least something equally clear and emphatic,” he concluded.
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