It was a low key activity at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) yesterday as one Minister among others expected to visit did not turn up.
The day turned out to be an anti-climax as the anticipated rush of political appointees turning in their resignation letters on deadline day ended with only one confirmed resignation, the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali.
His resignation follows a directive issued by President Bola Tinubu through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on March 17, 2026, ordering all political appointees with elective ambitions to vacate their positions on or before March 31.
The circular, signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, and issued by the Permanent Secretary (General Services Office), Dr Ibrahim Kana, stated that the directive was “pursuant to the provisions of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, as well as the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission for party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires political appointees, including ministers, advisers, and heads of government agencies, to resign their positions before they can participate in party primaries or be nominated for any elective office. The provision is designed to prevent the use of public office and state resources to gain an unfair advantage during the electoral process.
The directive applies to ministers, ministers of state, special advisers to the President, senior special assistants, special assistants, personal assistants, directors-general, and chief executive officers of federal parastatals, commissions, agencies, and government-owned companies.
According to its timetable, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled party primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026, with the submission of the names of candidates due by July 11 for presidential and National Assembly elections, and August 8 for governorship and state assembly contests.
As of press time last night, only Alkali had taken the bold step to resign from President Tinubu’s cabinet, following the footsteps of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, who had earlier on Monday turned in their letters.
Alkali resigned from the cabinet to pursue his governorship ambition in his native Gombe State ahead of the forthcoming 2027 elections. He announced his decision after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday evening.
The resignation, according to a statement from his media aide, Umar Alkali Jibril, followed a presidential directive requiring political appointees seeking elective office to step down from their positions according to extant law.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Tinubu, Alkali expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve, noting that significant progress had been made in the transportation sector during his tenure. The statement added that the President has accepted the resignation and commended the former minister for his service to the nation.
The former minister is expected to contest for the Gombe governorship seat, seeking to succeed incumbent Governor Inuwa Yahaya, whose tenure ends in May 2027. Yahaya was elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Before he was appointed Transportation Minister, Alkali represented Gombe Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
With the development, many members of the president’s cabinet may have shelved their political ambitions. Significantly, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has discarded his ambition to contest the Oyo State governorship election next year, having failed to resign his cabinet position by the March 31 deadline set by President Tinubu, after earlier declaring his interest to run for the office of governor.
Amid the circulation of a purported resignation letter on social media, Adelabu’s media aide, Mr Bolaji Tunji, dismissed the document as “fake news.” He stated that the minister remains in office and continues to carry out his duties in line with the president’s mandate.
Adelabu had held consultations over the past year regarding his intention to contest the Oyo State governorship election under the platform of the APC. “I have been on this journey for a while now. But this 2027, God has shown that it’s my turn,” Adelabu said in October 2025
However, when asked last week during a press briefing in Abuja about his ambition and any plans to resign, the minister declined to give a direct response and asked journalists to wait until the deadline day. It was gathered that the minister was reportedly studying the latest developments and political realignment in the state.
Reports indicate that Tinubu has yet to publicly endorse Adelabu, with indications that support within the party may be tilting towards Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who represents Oyo South Senatorial District.
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