BREAKING: Tinubu vs Shettima: Resigned Presidential Aide Speaks on Alleged Rift in Presidency

FCT, Abuja – Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former presidential aide who recently resigned from the administration of President Bola Tinubu, has disclosed that there was no rift between the president and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Baba-Ahmed, who served as special adviser to the president on political matters in the office of the vice president, said he did not notice any rift between Tinubu and Shettima when he was serving in that office.

The former presidential aide’s comment was a response to the question that there were reports plotting around that Vice President Shettima was being steadily and systematically isolated by the Tinubu clique of supporters in the presidency. The former presidential aide responded:

“No, I didn’t see any evidence of that. The personal chemistry between the president and the VP is excellent.”

See the video of his interview here:

Shettima and Tinubu: Analyst speaks on alleged rift

Speaking on the alleged rift between the president and the vice president, Titilope Anifowoshe, a legal practitioner, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, dismissed the rumour, adding that Tinubu and Shettima are mature politically.

She said:

“I doubt its authenticity. Both men are sophisticated and politically mature.”

When was Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed?

Recall that Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed as a special adviser on political matters to the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima in September 2023.

The former northern leader has represented the presidency at several public events in the last 17 months. One of his recent representations of the presidency was the national conference theme: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity”. This was held on January 28 and 29, 2025, in Abuja.

Criticism against Baba-Ahmed as Tinubu’s appointee

The appointment of Bala to the presidency had drawn criticism at some points. One such criticism came from Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence.

In April 2024, the minister appeared to have taken a swipe at Baba-Ahmed when he emphasised that northern appointees in Tinubu’s administration must not remain silent amid intimidation or misrepresentation of the current government.

Matawalle’s comment followed Baba-Ahmed’s criticism of the minister’s description of the northern elders forum as a “political paperweight”. The minister’s position was a response to the group’s statement that the north had made a mistake for voting for Tinubu in the 2023 ele

Tinubu approved appointments for Shettima

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of 18 aides to the office of the vice president.

According to a statement from the office of the vice president, the appointments were to actualise the agenda of the federal government across all sectors.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed that the appointments included six special advisers and 12 senior special assistants.