Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the political adviser to Vice President Kashim Shettima, has called it quits, sources in the presidency disclosed on Thursday. Reports say Baba-Ahmed, who used to speak for the Northern Elders Forum, stepped down from his Special Adviser role about two weeks back. He didn’t disclose much, just said it’s personal and nobody is sure yet if Tinubu’s team has okayed his exit.
Baba-Ahmed joined up in September 2023 and was in office for around for 17 months, showing up for the presidency at big events. His last outing was at a conference in Abuja on January 28-29, 2025, talking democracy and good governance. But it wasn’t all smooth as things got spicy with Defence Minister Bello Matawalle, especially when Matawalle told northern appointees like him to defend Tinubu loud and clear.
The beef started when Matawalle called NEF a “paperweight” after they bashed the North’s love for Tinubu in 2023. Baba-Ahmed fired back, saying Matawalle should brag about what northern leaders like him were doing for security and poverty instead of picking fights. Matawalle retorted, telling him to stop cozying up to NEF and push the administration’s wins instead.