Former Political Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has expressed concern over the President’s silence regarding persistent rumours that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be replaced as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 general election.

Speaking on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from the Tinubu administration three months ago, criticized the President for not personally debunking the speculations, which he believes could have been easily dismissed if truly unfounded. “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 stated.

He suggested that a direct statement from Tinubu could have quelled the rumours. “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,’” he said.

Baba-Ahmed further proposed that Tinubu could have clarified, “‘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.’” He expressed worry over the President’s silence, noting, “It’s worrying, let me just say it is worrying. 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.”

The rumours, which gained traction earlier this year, were previously dismissed in June by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga as a “non-issue.” Onanuga stated that Tinubu would only decide on a running mate after securing the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination for 2027. Despite this, Baba-Ahmed’s comments highlight ongoing concerns about the administration’s response to speculations that could impact party unity and public perception.

Neither President Tinubu nor Vice President Shettima has issued a direct response to Baba-Ahmed’s remarks at the time of this report.