Despite the clear directive issued by President Bola Tinubu that political appointees who have eyes on the 2027 electoral contest should resign their positions not later than March 31, 2026, only four appointees resigned their positions as of that day.

Those who resigned include Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), who left office to contest the governorship election in Bauchi State; Yusuf Tanko Sununu (Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction), who resigned to contest senatorial seat in Kebbi State; Alhaji Saidu Ahmed Alkali (Minister of Transportation), who left the cabinet to contest the governorship seat of Gombe State, and Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Minister of State for Employment, Labour and Productivity who opted to seek a return to the National Assembly from Abia State.

Although no fewer than 10 serving ministers were linked to the 2027 electoral contest before the March 17 directive from the Presidency ordering interested appointees to resign, only four made good their plans to resign and seek elective offices.

Those who did not resign their appointment despite being linked to electoral contest in 2027 include the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister for Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, who was linked with the gubernatorial contest in Bauchi State; Bosun Tijani (Minister of Communications), who was linked to the gubernatorial contest in Ogun State; Senator Abubakar Kyari (Minister of Agriculture, who was linked to the governorship contest in Borno State, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, who was earlier linked to the governorship race in Lagos State.

Others who failed to resign their positions as of the deadline date include the Director-General of the National Institute for Democratic and Legislative Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman, and the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Isa Onilu. The duo was linked with the governorship contest in Kwara State.

President Tinubu, via a letter from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, directed that all political appointees, including ministers, ministers of state, special advisers, and heads of agencies, who intended to contest any elective office in the 2027 general elections, resign by March 31, 2026.

The statement indicated that the directive complied with Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which bars such appointees from voting or being voted for at party primaries.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that a number of the appointees refused to resign in line with the directive because of the uncertainty about the possibility of their emergence as consensus candidates.

Sources said that most of the appointees who failed to resign were unable to secure the firm assurance from President Tinubu to the effect that they had been anointed as the flagbearer in the respective states.

For instance, while in an intense battle for the governorship ticket of Oyo State with the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adelabu, the Minister of Power, has so far failed to secure assurances from Tinubu that he would be picked as the consensus candidate.

A similar situation is prevalent in Ogun (Bosun Tijani) and Kwara, where Onilu and Suleiman are hoping to join the governorship race.

Though sources said that some of the ministers had asked for waivers to enable them to clear their tables, it was gathered that President Tinubu has not assured any of his ministers of an automatic ticket, a situation that appeared to have heightened the uncertainty among the appointees. (Nigerian Tribune)