Two key appointees of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the northern part of the country have clashed over the recent rebuke of the President by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF). They are Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, and a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

Reacting to the poor scores recently awarded Tinubu by NEF, Matawale had berated the group in a statement, describing them as people seeking relevance. This, however, did not go down well with Baba-Ahmed, who prior to his appointment by Tinubu was the NEF Spokesman. He berated the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, saying that he could have done a better job in his defence of the administration which he is serving as a minister.

Irked by Baba-Ahmed’s intervention, Matawalle fired back via a press statement issued earlier today, Monday, April 15, 2024, telling Tinubu’s appointees from the North to take their stand solidly behind the President or quit.

He wrote: “Consequent to my position on the recent attack on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR by a spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), it has come to my attention that Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed who once served as the Spokesperson of the group and currently a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency took to his page on it to express a different position.

“According to Dr. Baba-Ahmed ,my stand against the unjust and spurious attack against the new administration of President Tinubu that is working very hard to reposition our country and economy for better as 'ill-advised'. He suggested I could have done a better job in my defence of the administration where I have the rare honour to serve as a Minister.

“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) is well-known.The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, 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

“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owe the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.

“As appointees of the government from the North, we must all take a stand, be unequivocal and be counted in the roll of honours for our support and work for the success of the administration we are serving. 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 GCFR. We must stand up to be counted for being on the part of government or take our exit.”