By Adekunle Oluwafunmilayo
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Wednesday, resigned his position to pursue a governorship bid in Oyo State.
Adelabu is the third minister to exit President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Executive Council within the past 48 hours.
Adelabu’s resignation letter, dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to President Bola Tinubu through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that his exit would take effect on April 30, 2026, to allow for a smooth and orderly handover of responsibilities.
“My decision to step down is informed by my intention to focus fully on my gubernatorial ambition in Oyo State,” he wrote, adding, “In line with the provisions of the Amended Electoral Act 2026, which precludes political office holders from contesting elections, I consider it both appropriate and necessary to resign at this time.”
The Electoral Act 2026, signed by Tinubu on February 18, 2026, reduced the statutory notice period for elections from 360 to 300 days and bars serving political appointees from contesting, a provision now visibly reshaping cabinet composition as the 2027 electoral cycle draws closer.
In his resignation letter, Adelabu gave a detailed account of his stewardship of the power sector.
He noted that when he assumed office in 2023, available generation capacity stood at between 3,500 and 4,500 megawatts against an installed capacity of over 13,000 megawatts.
He also explained that the strained transmission network, widespread metering gaps affected more than half of electricity consumers, and left a sector debt overhang exceeding N4tn.
He credited the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023, the integration of the Zungeru Hydropower Plant and the rehabilitation of thermal assets for pushing peak generation above 6,000 megawatts.
He also cited progress in transmission infrastructure through the Presidential Power Initiative, improvements in revenue collection and a N4tn debt restructuring programme that raised market revenue from N1tn in 2023 to N2.3tn by 2025
Adelabu acknowledged, however, that the sector continued to face “important challenges, particularly in the area of gas supply constraints, infrastructure vandalism, and the need for full commercialisation across the value chain.”
In a series of exit recommendations, he called for cost-reflective tariffs with targeted subsidies for vulnerable Nigerians, accelerated nationwide metering, recapitalisation of the distribution segment and sustained investment in transmission infrastructure.
He also recommended the appointment of a coordinating minister for energy to provide strategic oversight across power, gas, water resources and the environment, a structural proposal that signals his view that the sector’s persistent problems require cross-ministerial coordination to resolve
