What appeared to be bold political calculations by some members of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet ahead of the 2027 general elections has, for many of them, turned into a risky gamble with painful consequences.
In line with a directive from the Presidency, several ministers resigned from the Federal Executive Council to pursue elective offices during the ongoing primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
But rather than securing stronger political footing, a number of the former ministers have found themselves politically stranded, losing both their cabinet positions and their ambitions to secure party tickets.
So far, only two out of the five ex-ministers who stepped down have successfully emerged from the primaries with tickets.
Others suffered humiliating defeats, controversies or uncertainty over their political future.
Among those who resigned are former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; former Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; and former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Sununu.
While Onyejeocha and Sununu managed to secure APC tickets in Abia and Kebbi states respectively, the political fortunes of the others have either collapsed or remain shaky.
ADEBAYO ADELABU
Adelabu resigned as Minister of Power to contest the APC governorship ticket in Oyo State. However, the former minister suffered a crushing defeat to Senator Sarafadeen Alli during the primary election.
Alli polled 578,143 votes, while Adelabu managed just 19,193 votes.
Shortly after he resigned, journalists asked him if he heard the news flying around that Alli was being backed by President Bola Tinubu, but the then Minister would have none of that.
“Anybody saying he had a meeting with the president and that he endorsed someone is telling lies,” he said.
The former minister said he delayed his resignation from the Federal Cabinet to secure a meeting with the President, adding that the discussion took place behind closed doors. According to him, Tinubu encouraged him to proceed with his governorship ambition.
“He told me, ‘Bayo, it is time. This is a long-standing ambition. I will not stop you. Go and resign and start work,’” Adelabu had said.
According to him, “if the president were to back anyone, it would be me”.
Following the loss, Adelabu rejected the outcome and alleged widespread irregularities, intimidation and manipulation during the exercise.
SAIDU ALKALI
Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali,
The former Transportation Minister stepped down from the cabinet to pursue the APC governorship ticket in Gombe State. But the move failed to produce the expected result as he lost the primary to Jamilu Gwamna, who enjoyed the backing of Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Alkali later boycotted the process, alleging lack of fairness and credibility in the exercise.
However, Alkali came a distant third in the primaries, behind former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami. While Pantami scored 12,120 votes to emerge as the first runner-up, Alkali polled 11, 612 votes as second runner-up.
While announcing the results, Chairman of the election committee, Senator Abubakar Danladi revealed that the committee received written notices of withdrawal from Pantami and Alkali, but he said the withdrawal letters were submitted after the commencement of the electoral process, adding that their names had already appeared on the ballot papers, so votes were still recorded for them in the election.
YUSUF TUGGAR
While some Ministers delayed their resignation and even failed to comply with the March 31 directive, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar made his stand known on the eve of the deadline as he formally transmitted his resignation letter to the president through the Office of the Secretary of Government, on March 30, 2026.
“Today, I formally submitted my resignation letter as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the provisions of the Electoral Act,” he wrote.
He stated that the moment marked the close of a significant chapter of his service and thanked the President “for the trust and opportunity to serve under the Renewed Hope Agenda, and to contribute to advancing Nigeria’s foreign policy through the 4D Doctrine”.
Tuggar, a former member of the House of Representatives, was elected to represent the Gamawa Federal Constituency in 2007.
Ten years after, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany. He occupied that position from 2017 to 2023.
He lost the APC ticket to Mohammed Abubakar, the immediate past governor of Bauchi State.
According to the Chairman of the APC governorship election committee in Bauchi, AIG John Bassey Abang (rtd), Abubakar scored 57,517 votes to defeat Tuggar, who scored 26,001 votes.
(Daily Trust)
