A former presidential adviser, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has raised concern on why President Bola Tinubu has not personally dismissed the growing rumours that he intends to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The speculation, which first surfaced months ago, suggests there may be plans to drop Shettima from the ticket ahead of the next general election.
The presidency has dismissed the claim through aides, including presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga who described it in June as a non-issue.
However, Baba-Ahmed believes the matter deserved a more decisive response, including one from the president himself.
Speaking during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed, who left his position in the Tinubu administration about three months ago, said the President’s continued silence is not only surprising but troubling.
“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.
He stressed that if the rumour was indeed baseless, it wouldn’t have taken much to put it to rest - just a clear and direct message from the President himself.
“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 added that the lack of a personal response from the President leaves room for unnecessary speculation and division within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It’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,” he added.
