Nigeria’s minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, has resigned from the federal cabinet to pursue a long-standing ambition to become governor of Oyo State, in a move that underscores the growing impact of new electoral rules on the country’s political class.
Adelabu’s departure, confirmed in a letter dated 22 April and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, will take effect from 30 April to allow for what he described as a “smooth and orderly handover”. His exit makes him the third minister to leave the Federal Executive Council in the space of 48 hours, as the 2027 election cycle begins to reshape the composition of government.
The presidency, however, moved to quell speculation of a broader purge, pushing back against reports that Wale Edun and Ahmed Dangiwa had also been dismissed.
In his resignation letter, Adelabu framed his decision as both a personal and legal necessity. “My decision to step down is informed by my intention to focus fully on my gubernatorial ambition,” he wrote, citing provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which bars serving political appointees from contesting elections.
The law, signed earlier this year by Tinubu, has reduced the statutory notice period for elections and forced officeholders with political ambitions to relinquish their posts well ahead of the 2027 polls — a requirement now visibly accelerating turnover within the cabinet.
A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Adelabu traced his gubernatorial ambition back to 2016, noting that he had previously resigned from the apex bank in 2018 to pursue the same goal.
His departure also brings to a close a tenure marked by attempts to stabilise Nigeria’s troubled electricity sector. When he assumed office in 2023, power generation hovered between 3,500 and 4,500 megawatts despite an installed capacity exceeding 13,000 megawatts. The system was further constrained by weak transmission infrastructure, widespread metering gaps and a debt burden estimated at more than ₦4tn.
Adelabu pointed to reforms anchored on the Electricity Act 2023, alongside the integration of the Zungeru hydropower plant and rehabilitation of thermal facilities, as key drivers of improved performance. Peak generation, he said, rose to above 6,000 megawatts during his tenure.
He also cited gains in revenue collection — from about ₦1tn in 2023 to ₦2.3tn by 2025 — supported by a ₦4tn debt restructuring programme, as well as ongoing investments in transmission under the Presidential Power Initiative.
Yet, in a candid assessment, Adelabu acknowledged that deep structural challenges persist, including gas supply constraints, infrastructure vandalism and incomplete commercialisation across the electricity value chain.
In a set of parting recommendations, he urged the government to adopt cost-reflective tariffs with targeted subsidies for vulnerable households, accelerate nationwide metering and recapitalise the distribution segment. He also proposed the creation of a coordinating minister for energy to oversee the interconnected portfolios of power, gas, water resources and the environment — a sign of the scale of reform he believes is still required.
His resignation marks not just a personal political pivot, but a broader moment in Nigeria’s evolving electoral cycle, where legal reforms are beginning to redraw the boundaries between governance and ambition.
