Baba-Ahmed says Tinubu would have “personally” refuted rumour of him dropping Shettima “if it was not true”
Baba-Ahmed says Tinubu would have “personally” refuted rumour to show accountability
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“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.
“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” – Baba-Ahmed.
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Bola Tinubu’s former political adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has knocked his silence over persistent rumour of his plot to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima before the 2027 vote, saying the President would have “personally” killed the story “if it was not true.”
The next presidential ballot is two years away but speculation is rife about Tinubu’s clandestine scheme to replace Shettima on the ticket.
Villa spokesperson Bayo Onanuga last month dismissed the report as a “non-issue,” insisting that Tinubu would decide on a running mate only after securing the nomination at the convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But Baba-Ahmed argued on Channels Television this week that Tinubu should have personally addressed the matter if it was truly baseless.
“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,” 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, 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.
“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 [another] way, but it should come from him – it should be direct and it must be emphatic.”
Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from his Aso Rock appointment about three months ago,
warned Tinubu not to take Nigerians for granted, because they can vote him out in 2027 as they did Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 after one term in the Villa.
He stressed that leadership must be accountable and measurable.
“It’s a governance thing that you will take to the electorate at the end. It doesn’t matter what you think you’ve done – all the defections to your party. Nigerians will decide.”
Read also:
Baba-Ahmed alerts Tinubu, Nigerians can vote you out in 2027, there is sadness across the land under your watch
Baba-Ahmed says Tinubu would have “personally” refuted rumour to show accountability
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
*******************************
“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.
“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 [another] way, but it should come from him – it should be direct and it must be emphatic” – Baba-Ahmed.
*******************************
Bola Tinubu’s former political adviser Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has knocked his silence over persistent rumour of his plot to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima before the 2027 vote, saying the President would have “personally” killed the story “if it was not true.”
The next presidential ballot is two years away but speculation is rife about Tinubu’s clandestine scheme to replace Shettima on the ticket.
Villa spokesperson Bayo Onanuga last month dismissed the report as a “non-issue,” insisting that Tinubu would decide on a running mate only after securing the nomination at the convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But Baba-Ahmed argued on Channels Television this week that Tinubu should have personally addressed the matter if it was truly baseless.
“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,” 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, 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.
“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 [another] way, but it should come from him – it should be direct and it must be emphatic.”
Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from his Aso Rock appointment about three months ago,
warned Tinubu not to take Nigerians for granted, because they can vote him out in 2027 as they did Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 after one term in the Villa.
He stressed that leadership must be accountable and measurable.
“It’s a governance thing that you will take to the electorate at the end. It doesn’t matter what you think you’ve done – all the defections to your party. Nigerians will decide.”
Read also:
