Hakeem Baba-Ahmed Resigns as Tinubu’s Political Adviser

Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu in the Office of the Vice President, has tendered his resignation, sources within the presidency have confirmed.

According to reports from a national daily on Friday, Baba-Ahmed, a former spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), submitted his resignation about two weeks ago. However, it remains unclear whether the presidency has officially accepted his resignation as of this report.

The reasons behind his resignation have not been publicly disclosed, but insiders suggest it was a personal decision made by Baba-Ahmed.

Baba-Ahmed’s tenure in the presidency was not without controversy. His affiliation with the NEF and his outspoken views occasionally drew criticism, including from the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.

In April 2024, Matawalle criticized northern appointees, including Baba-Ahmed, for remaining silent in the face of criticisms directed at the Tinubu administration. Matawalle’s comments were widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Baba-Ahmed, who had defended the NEF after the group suggested that the North had made a mistake in supporting Tinubu in the 2023 elections.

In response, Baba-Ahmed argued that rather than attacking the NEF, Matawalle should have focused on highlighting the achievements of northern ministers and other appointees, including himself, in improving security and reducing poverty in the North.

“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 by identifying contributions of northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North.”

Matawalle, however, shot back, insisting that all appointees were obligated to promote the administration they served. He emphasized that Baba-Ahmed and others should support the government, defending it against attacks that were driven by ethnic or other narrow interests.

“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,” Matawalle stated.

Born on September 11, 1955, in Kaduna State, Baba-Ahmed has had a distinguished career in public service. A retired senior civil servant, he previously served as Secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before his retirement. He also served as Chief of Staff to former Senate President Bukola Saraki during the 8th Senate.

Baba-Ahmed studied at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, as well as at the London School of Economics and the University of Sussex in the UK, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

Baba-Ahmed began his career as a lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, before moving into the Kaduna State Civil Service. He later advanced 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.

A recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR), Baba-Ahmed has long been an advocate for governance reforms and northern interests. Before joining the Tinubu administration, he served as the Director of Publicity and Advocacy for the NEF, a role in which he frequently spoke out against policies perceived to harm the North.