How Adelabu resigned against Tinubu’s wish

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet against the wishes of the President who had dissuaded him from quitting, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Insiders familiar with the back and forth that preceded the resignation told our correspondents on Friday that Adelabu insisted on quitting the cabinet to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

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 spokesperson for the SGF’s office confirmed the resignation to Saturday PUNCH and declined further comment.

“Anything apart from that, I am not in a position to answer,” he said.

Adelabu’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.

The directive, announced on March 17 in a circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, is in line with Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission for party primaries ahead of the 2027 polls.

While four ministers, including Yusuf Tuggar of Foreign Affairs and Nkeiruka Onyejeocha of Labour and Productivity, resigned in line with the March 31 deadline, Adelabu’s resignation came 22 days later.

The 2023 Oyo State Accord Party governorship candidate said he resigned to pursue his ambition, adding that his resignation takes effect from April 30, 2026, to allow for a smooth transition.

While a section of the public believes that the minister might have been asked to resign by the President, insiders insisted that he voluntarily stepped down to pursue his governorship ambition.

Credible sources in the Presidency and among Adelabu’s aides told our correspondents 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, where he 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 told our correspondent that the President had consistently defended Adelabu’s performance in office, even in the face of 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,” the source added.

However, a third source clarified that the March 31 deadline was administrative rather than legal, and that Adelabu’s resignation fell within the window prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.

The official said, “What came from the SGF is an administrative circular. It doesn’t have the force of law behind it. The Electoral Act says you resign 30 days before the primaries. That is the law. And he is early and within the time range since he is running for governor.”

Similarly, an ally of the minister, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on Friday on condition of anonymity, said 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.”

Adelabu’s media aide, Femi Awogboro, also confirmed that the minister received Tinubu’s blessing before his resignation.

He said it would not be the first time Adelabu would voluntarily resign from a high position on conviction.

“Beyond his long-standing ambition, it is worth recalling that Adebayo Adelabu once voluntarily resigned from the Central Bank of Nigeria, where he served as Deputy Governor (Operations), driven by his passion to give back to society. This demonstrates that resigning from any position, when necessary, has never been an issue for him.

“He does not embark on any journey without prior approval from Almighty God and his father and mentor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The good people of Oyo State have consistently agitated and called on him to govern the state, based on his track record and his strong interest in grassroots development and local government emancipation.

“This widespread support was clearly evident on Thursday, April 23, when he arrived at Alakia, Ibadan Airport. Ibadan was agog with a remarkable display of genuine love and enthusiasm from the people. It truly shows that he is loved across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State and widely preferred as their choice for leadership,” Awogboro stated.

Adelabu, a grandson of the late Adegoke Adelabu, the Ibadan political icon popularly known as Penkelemesi, contested on the platform of the APC and lost to Makinde.

He tried again in 2023 and lost to the same opponent.

In October 2025, he publicly rededicated himself to the ambition.

“I have been on this journey for a while now. But this 2027, God has shown that it’s my turn. It’s Adelabu time,” he stated.

The APC in the South-West is, however, believed to be gravitating towards a former Secretary to the State Government of Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, as a consensus candidate, following a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on March 30.

President Tinubu was reported to have endorsed Alli’s bid alongside Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat for Lagos and Senator Olamilekan Adeola for Ogun.(Punch)