Tinubu’s 2027 election rumours stir fresh controversy as ex-adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed questions the President’s silence on replacing Vice President Shettima
Persistent Tinubu’s 2027 election rumours are drawing renewed attention after a former political adviser publicly criticised the President’s silence.
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Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, once a key aide to President Bola Tinubu, has questioned why the country’s leader has not personally dismissed claims he plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the next election.
Despite the vote being two years away, speculation has intensified, raising concerns about unity within the ruling party.
The Presidency, through spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, earlier brushed off the rumours as a “non-issue”. But critics say a direct statement from Tinubu is long overdue.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Baba-Ahmed made it clear that vague denials from aides are insufficient.
“I would be very curious to find out what it is that makes all these stories about dropping him. I think, somewhere along the line, to be honest, the President should have done something a long time ago,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed argued that a simple, unambiguous declaration from Tinubu could have ended the matter.
His concern lies not only in the rumours themselves but in the President’s reluctance to speak up.
He 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.’”
According to Baba-Ahmed, such silence creates unnecessary tension and suspicion. Trust within the highest levels of government, he believes, should never be left open to doubt.
“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,” he added.
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As Tinubu’s 2027 election rumours continue to trend across Nigerian media, calls for transparency grow louder. The political cost of indecision may prove significant if not addressed soon.
