The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, reportedly resigned against President Bola Tinubu’s wishes.
NOP NIGERIA reports that Adelabu announced his resignation on Wednesday in a letter dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to the President through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The former minister’s resignation came after Tinubu directed all political appointees under his administration who intended to contest elective offices in the 2027 general elections to resign their appointments on or before March 31, 2026.2026, to allow for a smooth transition.
However, sources told Punch that Adelabu insisted on quitting the cabinet to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
Credible sources in the Presidency and among Adelabu’s aides told the aforementioned publication that Tinubu had wanted to consider the Oyo APC chieftain as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, following Wale Edun’s resignation.
“The truth is that he (Adelabu) resigned. He wasn’t sacked. I can confirm that to you. In fact, the President didn’t want him to go. He came to the Villa on Tuesday and met with the President. The President had been avoiding him for the past two months, so he wouldn’t get the opportunity to talk about resignation. That’s why he delayed,” a top government official in the Presidency said.
According to the source, the President had sent intermediaries to caution Adelabu against resigning.
“The President sent people to tell him not to resign. When the two men finally met at the Villa on Tuesday, Tinubu asked Adelabu a direct question about his chances of winning the primaries and the governorship.
“The President asked him an honest question: ‘Are you sure you can win the ticket?’ And he answered immediately, ‘Yes, sir, I can win. I will win.’ And the President told him, ‘Best of luck.’ He is an optimist. He left by himself,” the source said.
Another insider claimed that the President had consistently defended Adelabu’s performance in office, even amid public criticism over persistent grid collapses and rising electricity tariffs under the minister’s watch.
The official said, “The President didn’t want him to go. Even when people said he was not performing, the President defended him, saying he was doing well because the problem with the power sector is not a one-man game or a minister’s issue alone.
“There are layers of things that need to be fixed before we can see real results. And the President is satisfied with him doing some of those things.”
Also, an ally of the minister stated that Adelabu had a project he needed to deliver before his resignation.
“Some people believed he would not resign, but he did. The minister didn’t disrespect the President. If a team lead asks the general team members to go somewhere and then calls an individual aside to say, ‘Look, you have to finish the special project you’re doing before you go,’ will that individual leave?
“Adelabu is the President’s son, and he enjoys his support. He would have been the Minister of Finance if he had not resigned. Anybody criticising the minister because he didn’t resign in March as directed by the President does not understand the relationship between the two of them.
“Before he resigned, the minister met with the President to give a report of his stewardship, and the President was pleased with him. In fact, left to the President, he would not have allowed him to go, but he told the minister he would not stop him from pursuing his governorship ambition,” the source said.
