Hakeem Baba-Ahmed Quits As Presidential Aide

The Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu in the Office of the Vice President, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has tendered his resignation, according to Presidency sources.

He was appointed Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima in September 2023.

The former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Baba-Ahmed reportedly submitted his resignation about two weeks ago.

However, it was unclear whether the presidency has officially accepted his resignation or not as of the time of filling this report

Though reasons for his resignation are still speculations in the public space, insiders within the Presidency hinted that it may have been out been connected with his personal conviction.

According to media reports on Friday, Baba-Ahmed, who enjoyed a distinguished career in public service before retirement, was mute on the reasons for his decision, only stating that it was on personal grounds.

Before joining the Tinubu-led administration, he was t Kaduna State-born on retired Senior civil servant, had previously served as Secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and was also Chief of Staff (CoS) to former Senate President Bukola Saraki in the 8th Senate.

Competent sources said being quite a principled personality, Baba-Ahmed had its fair share of controversies serving in the President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly his affiliation with the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) which drew criticisms from some quarters, including Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.

Matawalle had in April 2024 criticised northern appointees who, in his view, remained silent in the face of criticisms against the Tinubu administration.

The former Zamfara State Governor’s remarks were widely considered as a direct jab at Baba-Ahmed, who had defended the NEF over its comments suggesting that the North made a mistake voting for President Bola Tinubu in 2023.

Baba-Ahmed had argued that rather than attacking the NEF, Matawalle should have focused on showcasing his achievements in government.

“Scathing criticism of NEF by the junior Minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised,” Baba-Ahmed wrote.

“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.”

However, former Governor Matawalle did fire back, insisting that all government appointees had a duty to promote the administration they served.

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.

“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.”

An Alumni of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, the 70-year-old bureaucrat attended the London School of Economics and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

His career began as a Lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, before transitioning into the Kaduna State Civil Service and later to the Federal Civil Service, where he rose to the rank of Permanent Secretary, serving in various ministries, including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

He is a recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) and has long been an advocate for governance reforms and northern interests.

Baba-Ahmed served as Director of Publicity and Advocacy for the NEF, a position that saw him often speaking against policies perceived to be anti-North in nature and implementation.