As Nigeria looks ahead to the 2027 general elections, there have been rumours that President Bola Tinubu may drop Vice President Kashim Shettima from his team. Some reports even claimed that Shettima has been sidelined and is no longer playing an important role.

But Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who was the Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the President in the Vice President’s office, says these rumours are not true.

Baba-Ahmed, also a former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, recently resigned from his role in government. Some people believed he left because Shettima was no longer close to President Tinubu. But speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Baba-Ahmed shared his side of the story.

“I never really interacted with President Tinubu personally,” he said. “But I spoke often with Vice President Shettima, and I don’t think he feels sidelined at all.”

He explained that from Shettima’s point of view, there is no issue between him and President Tinubu. “I saw a President and a Vice President who worked well together. There was good teamwork between them,” he added.

Baba-Ahmed also said he found the rumours strange and believed they were made up.

So, for now, it seems Tinubu and Shettima are still on the same page as Nigeria heads toward the 2027 elections.