Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the spokesperson for the Hakeem Baba-Ahmed (NEF) and recently appointed as the political adviser to Vice President Kashim Shettima by President Bola Tinubu, has clarified his reasons for accepting the appointment. Despite mixed reactions following the news, which stem from his brother's association with the Labour Party as the vice presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Baba-Ahmed emphasized in a column article published by Vanguard on Wednesday that it is a matter of responsibility to seize an opportunity to contribute to national development. He stressed that the appointment is an invitation to serve the nation and is devoid of partisan affiliations.

He further asserted that in Nigeria, there is no room for neutrality, and his life has consistently been dedicated to serving God, the community, and the country. According to him, his approach to politics has never been about "destroying the whole because my share is smaller." Baba-Ahmed concluded by highlighting that the decision to accept the appointment ultimately rested with him, emphasizing the nation's need for collective effort in its progress.

He said; “There is no room for fence-sitters in Nigeria today, and those who can contribute to turning the country round but refuse are, to use a polite word, irresponsible. You do not refuse to help put out a fire in the village because you did not start it, it advised. The North, and all sections of the country, need to be where the real work of stopping the dangerous decline is being done. The present calls for a national effort, and partisan and sectional resistance to taking a stand for the fight to retrieve the nation and make it work better will have no value.

“A lot more was offered to me as advise, including the advise of the Northern Elders Forum and key people in other northern groups. In the end, the decision was always going to be mine. It turned out to be less stressful than I thought. My entire life had been about service to God, the community and the country. There has never been a time when the nation needed more hands on deck. My politics has never been the type that supports destroying the whole because my share is smaller. It has, on the contrary, been about insisting on equity and justice, and the belief that these have to be labored for.”