Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu is set to resign to contest the Oyo State governorship election.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations Bolaji Tunji after a meeting between the minister and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to the statement, Minister Adelabu informed the president of his plan to step down and seek elective office.
“In view of this development, Chief Adebayo Adelabu is expected to resign his position as Minister of Power in the coming days,” the statement said.
The meeting also featured a briefing by Adelabu on activities in the power sector.
He presented the National Integrated Electricity Policy and its Strategic Implementation Plan, alongside a review of efforts to improve power generation and transmission and to implement reforms across the electricity value chain.
President Tinubu acknowledged the minister’s work and approved his decision to pursue the governorship ambition.
“President Tinubu commended the minister for his dedication and the progress recorded,” the statement said.
“The President also granted his consent and blessing for the minister to pursue his governorship ambition.”
The development comes weeks after reports claimed Adelabu had resigned. On April 1, Tunji denied the reports, saying the minister was still in office.
“The news of the minister’s resignation is fake. There is no truth to it,” he said at the time.
The latest statement, however, indicates that the resignation may take place soon, with the timing linked to ongoing reforms in the sector.
Adebayo Adelabu was appointed minister of power by President Tinubu in August 2023 after serving as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
His tenure has been marked by continued challenges in the electricity sector, including repeated power outages and grid failures.
On January 23, the national grid collapsed, with another incident recorded five days later. Similar disruptions were reported in 2025 and 2024, when the grid collapsed several times.
The government has said reforms in the sector have attracted about $2 billion in investment and reduced liabilities to N146 billion.
The planned resignation also follows recent changes in the federal cabinet.
Wale Edun was removed as minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy and replaced by Taiwo Oyedele, while Ahmed Dangiwa was directed to leave his position as minister of housing and urban development, with Muttaqha Darma named as successor.
