Tinubu vs Shettima: Second Insider Speaks on Alleged Rift, Says "No Relationship is 100%"

• President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are reportedly on good terms, contrary to claims of a rift between them
• An APC chieftain and former member of the party's Board of Trustees, Ismaeel Ahmed, who addressed the issue, clarified the rumoured rift
• Ahmed would be the second insider to speak out, following the disclosure by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former presidential aide who recently resigned from President Tinubu’s administration

Ismaeel Ahmed, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former member of the party's Board of Trustees, dismissed the allegation of a rift between President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television programmes on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Ahmed described the claim as 'malicious rumours', stating that the report lacks substance as the two leaders enjoy a cordial relationship.

His comment reads in part:

“It’s (friction) not true. I know it very well. Who is ever in a 100 per cent relationship with anyone? There is trust between President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima. We are trying to create an issue where there is none.”

He further dismissed all the claims as mere rumours and expressed confidence that there had been no discussions about substituting the Vice President in 2027, nor any attempt to block him from accessing the Presidential Villa.

The APC chieftain asserted that the rumours were being spread by malicious individuals who have no understanding of what is happening within the presidency, or how it operates.

Here is the video of Ahmed's interview:

Tinubu-Shettima: Anifowoshe reacts to alleged rift

A legal icon, Titilope Anifowoshe, in an interview with Legit.ng, dismissed the alleged rift between the Nigerian president and his vice. She noted that Shettima has remained loyal to the president and did not see the need to replace him in 2027. She said:

"Vice President Shettima has demonstrated loyalty and competence, and he has proven to be a steady partner in governance. There is no compelling reason to fix what isn’t broken."

Tinubu, Shettima's rift debunked

Ahmed would be the second insider in the presidency who would debunk the rift between President Tinubu and his deputy. The first was Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former presidential aide, who recently resigned from the administration of President Tinubu. He disclosed that there was no rift between the president and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Baba-Ahmed, who served as special adviser to the president on political matters in the office of the vice president, said he did not notice any rift between Tinubu and Shettima when he was serving in that office.

The former presidential aide's comment was a response to the question that there were reports plotting around that Vice President Shettima was being steadily and systematically isolated by the Tinubu clique of supporters in the presidency

The alleged rift between Tinubu and Shettima became headlines amid the plot by the opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna and Rivers governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, to sack the ruling APC in the 2027 election through a coalition movement.

How to stop presidents from removing VP

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu's alleged rift with Vice President Kashim Shettima has been dismissed by Barrister Oladotun Hassan.

Hassan, a legal practitioner, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, explained that such rumours should not be entertained.

He suggested that people should be allowed to pick forms and contest the VP position to stop unnecessary dismissal claims.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng