2027 Polls: Tinubu’s cabinet shrinks as key appointees exit to pursue ambition

At least five key figures serving under President Bola Tinubu-led administration have resigned, Western Post reports. 

This development follows in compliance with an earlier directive issued by the office of the secretary of the government of the federation, George Akume. 

The government’s secretary, Akume said that Tinubu ordered all political appointees under his leadership who are willing to contest elective offices in the 2027 general elections to resign their appointments. 

According to the circular conveying the directive, the president declared that the resignation could be tendered on or before March 31, 2026.

A review of the circular by this newspaper shows that those affected include ministers, ministers of state, special advisers to the president, senior special assistants, special assistants, personal assistants, directors-general, and chief executive officers of federal government parastatals, agencies, commissions and government-owned companies, alongside other appointees working with the president.

The circular further  stated that the decision flows from the clear wordings of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries as 2027 polls draw closer. 

“President Tinubu emphasised that the measure is necessary to ensure full compliance with electoral laws, uphold transparency in the political process, and promote a level playing field for all aspirants ahead of the elections.

“He urged all concerned officials to take note of this directive and ensure strict compliance, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and promoting credible electoral processes in Nigeria,” parts of the circular stated.

Complying with the directive, at least three ministers and two other key appointees have submitted their letters of resignation to the presidency, ending their four-year tenure. 

As expected, all these political appointees who resigned cited similar reasons of chasing personal political ambitions in various states. 

In some quarters, there are speculations that Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, also left his position to contest in the upcoming race as a governorship aspirant in Oyo State. Meanwhile, sources close to the minister told this newspaper that the now-widely circulated resignation letter purportedly from the minister is untrue and unfounded. 

See the list of the confirmed political appointees who resigned ahead the 2027 polls below: 

Yusuf Sununu 

President Tinubu first appointed Suunu as Minister of State for Education before he was eventually redeployed as Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs. 

Sununu contested and won the House of Representatives seat for the Ngaski/Shanga/Yauri Federal Constituency of Kebbi State in 2019 and 2023 before President Tinubu appointed him as a minister.

As a politician with an electoral background, Sununu resigned from his ministerial appointment to pursue his senatorial ambition in Kebbi State.

He resigned in 2019 as the Chief Consultant Special Grade 1 at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, to join partisan politics.

Yusuf Tuggar 

Unlike Sununu, who is aiming for the National Assembly of Nigeria, Yusuf Tuggar announced his resignation as Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday, as he prepares for the top seat as governor of Bauchi State.

In a statement posted by his spokesperson on  Facebook, he explained that the decision was taken to allow him focus and contest for the gubernatorial seat of Bauchi State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Until his resignation, Tuggar had been the minister for foreign affairs since 2023, when he was appointed and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate. 

A British-educated diplomat par excellence, he previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany.

Tuggar is a former member of the House of Representatives. He was elected to represent the Gamawa Federal Constituency in 2007.

He was born in 1967, and he’s from the Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State. His father, Abubakar Tuggar, represented Gamawa Federal Constituency for the House of Representatives in the second republic. 

Said Alkali

Also, Said Alkali, the nation’s minister of transportation, announced his resignation from office in line with the presidential directive mandating political appointees seeking elective positions to step down.

The minister’s special assistant on medi and publicity, Umar Jibril, made it known in a statement he signed. 

Alkali thanked the president for the confidence reposed in him while in office, adding that he is now set to take a step further by joining the governorship race in Gombe State under the umbrella of the APC. 

Nasiru Gawuna 

In a related development, Gawuna resigned as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. He was the 2023 governorship candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State. 

The former Kano deputy governor tendered his resignation on Monday, March 30, 2026. 

Abdulrazak Namdas 

Namdas was a member of the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission representing the North-East Zone. The Adamawa State indigene resigned to contest an elective position in the forthcoming 2027 elections.

It was gathered that Namdas may contest for the governorship election in Adamawa State.