Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the political adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has resigned, Daily Trust reliably learnt.
Impeccable sources in the presidency confirmed yesterday that the former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) tendered his resignation about two weeks ago.
The sources said Dr. Baba-Ahmed did not provide details of the reasons for his decision, only stating that it was on personal grounds. However, as of the time of filing this report, it was unclear whether the presidency had accepted his resignation.
Baba-Ahmed was appointed Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima in September 2023.
Over the past 17 months, he has represented the presidency at several public fora, including a recent national conference themed: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity”, which held from 28th to 29th January, 2025 in Abuja.
Clash with Matawalle over NEF
Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s role in the presidency drew criticism at certain points. A notable criticism came from the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
In April 2024, Matawalle appeared to have taken an aim at Dr. Baba-Ahmed, when he said northern appointees must not remain silent in the face of intimidation or misrepresentation of the Tinubu administration.
His remarks came after Baba-Ahmed criticised Matawalle’s dismissal of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) as a “political paperweight”. That position by the minister was in reaction to the group’s statement that the North had made a mistake voting for Tinubu in 2023.
Baba-Ahmed had argued that the Tinubu administration would have been better served if Matawalle had highlighted his own achievements as a minister—along with those of other northern appointees—rather than attacking the NEF.
“Scathing criticism of NEF by the junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised. 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,” Baba-Ahmed wrote.
Matawalle fired back, insisting that government appointees had a duty to defend and promote the administration they served. “Dr Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is well known,” Matawalle said, adding that: “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”.
adThe minister stressed further that: “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. This is not the time to keep quiet in the face of intimidation and misrepresentation of the efforts and achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, the junior minister maintained.
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed at a glance
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed (born September 11, 1955) is a Nigerian retired senior civil servant and former Chief of Staff to ex-Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki. He hails from Kaduna State. A practising Muslim, he has held several key positions in public service and governance.
Baba-Ahmed studied at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, the London School of Economics, and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.
He began his career as a lecturer at the then University of Sokoto (now Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto) before joining the Kaduna State Civil Service. He later transferred to the Federal Civil Service, where he rose to the rank of Permanent Secretary.
During his career, Baba-Ahmed served as Permanent Secretary in various capacities, including in the Presidency and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He also held the position of Secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A reform-minded public servant, he also served as Secretary to the Kaduna State Government. His contributions to governance earned him the national honour of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).
Baba-Ahmed is regarded as an elder statesman in Northern Nigeria. Before his appointment as Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President in the Office of the Vice President, he was the Director of Publicity and Advocacy for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), where he spoke openly against policies that were perceived to be against the interests of the North, and of the various parts of Nigeria
"Undoubtedly, the police have been saddled with the duty by both the Constitution and section 11 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Law to provide protection for the
Sheriff/bailifts of court involved in execution of court judgments. No single individual or institution can be above the law. This was reiterated by the Apex Court in the above case now reported as Ogiefo v Isesele I [2025] 2 N.W.L.R. (Part 1975) 1 particularly at page 29 where the Court per Agim, J.S.C. held:
"It is trite, that no institution or person, no matter how highly placed, should be allowed to treat the courts, the cherishingly acclaimed hallowed temples of justice with disdain, levity and contempt. As aptly and most authoritatively reiterated by the Apex Court —
In the area where the Rule of law operates, the rule of self help by force is abandoned. Nigeria being one of the countries in the World which proclaim loudly to follow the rule of law, there is no room for self-help by force to operate. Once a dispute has arisen between a person and the government or authority and the dispute has been brought before court, thereby involving the judicial powers of the State it is the duty of the government to allow the law to run its course or allow the law and judicial process to run its full course. The action the Lagos State Governinent took can have no other interpretation than to show of the intention to pre-empt the decision of the court. The courts expect the utmost respect of the law from the government itself, which rules by law. See Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986) I NWER (Pt. 18) 621.”
"Furthermore, there can be no doubt that every citizen has a plain and unqualified obligation to obey the judgment of the Court. There is a plain duty imposed on the Nigeria Police by section 287(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
1999, as amended, which provides as follows: -
“287(1) ‘The decision of the Supreme court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons and by courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.”
"In the circumstances, we hereby request you to use your good offices to direct armed police protection be given to the bailiffs of the High Court of Edo State to enable them execute the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria In SC/147 2014 entered on 19tg July, 2024 affirming the aforesaid concurect judgmects of the High Cout of Edo State snd the Court of Appeal in the Ewu chieftincy matter", Obamogie appealed.
As all stakeholders in the Ewu kingship issue awaits the response of the new Edo State Commissioner of Police in the execution of the Supreme Court judgement under reference, it is clear that the provisions of the law that details the roles of the police in the lawful execution of court judgements as adumberated by K. O. Obamogie (SAN) in the petition must have informed the inclusion of a representative of the Judiciary in the Police Service Commission, a position presently occupied by Honourable Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court who was personally present during the posting interview which heralded the posting of CP Monday Agbonika as the new Commissioner of Police in charge of the Edo State Police Command.