posted 4th April 2025
Tinubu’s Political Adviser, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Resigns
Abuja, 3 April 2025 – Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has stepped down from his role, according to reliable sources cited by Daily Trust. The resignation, which reportedly took place about two weeks ago, was confirmed by impeccable sources within the presidency on Wednesday.
Dr Baba-Ahmed, a former spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), is said to have cited personal reasons for his departure, though he provided no further details. As of the time of this report, it remains unclear whether the presidency has formally accepted his resignation.
Appointed in September 2023 to serve in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Baba-Ahmed spent the past 17 months representing the Tinubu administration at various public engagements. Notably, he attended a national conference titled “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity” held in Abuja from 28 to 29 January 2025.
Dr Baba-Ahmed’s tenure was not without controversy. His role drew scrutiny, particularly from Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence. In April 2024, Matawalle appeared to target Baba-Ahmed in a public statement, urging northern appointees to vocally defend the Tinubu administration against what he described as “intimidation or misrepresentation.”
The minister’s remarks followed Baba-Ahmed’s criticism of Matawalle, who had dismissed the NEF as a “political paperweight” after the group claimed the North had erred in supporting Tinubu in the 2023 elections. Baba-Ahmed countered that Matawalle would have better served the administration by showcasing the achievements of northern appointees, including himself, rather than attacking the NEF.
“Scathing criticism of NEF by the junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised,” Baba-Ahmed wrote at the time. “He could have done a better job for this administration if he identified contributions of especially northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North.”
Matawalle hit back, asserting that appointees like Baba-Ahmed had a duty to promote and defend the government. “Dr Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is well known,” he said. “As an appointee of this administration, it is his responsibility to work for its success, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat up the polity for myopic reasons.”
The minister added: “Every appointee of President Tinubu, including Dr Baba-Ahmed, owes the government a duty to promote, elucidate, and advance its good works and commendable efforts across all sectors. As appointees from the North, we must take a stand, be unequivocal, and be counted among those working for the success of this administration.”
