Dare Babalola
The Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali, has stepped down from the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu, in compliance with a federal directive requiring political appointees with electoral ambitions to resign on or before March 31, 2026.
The State House confirmed that Alkali tendered his resignation on Tuesday evening shortly after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa.
Alkali’s exit comes just hours before the expiration of the deadline issued through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, mandating all appointees seeking elective positions to vacate their offices.
The directive, anchored on Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, aims to ensure a level playing field by preventing the use of public office for political advantage.
The former minister, who hails from Gombe State, is widely expected to join the 2027 governorship race in the state, where he is likely to seek to succeed incumbent Governor Inuwa Yahaya, whose tenure ends in May 2027.
Yahaya, a member of the All Progressives Congress, was first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.
Alkali’s resignation adds to a growing list of cabinet members who have stepped down in line with the presidential order.
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Sununu, also resigned to pursue elective positions in Bauchi and Kebbi states, respectively.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled party primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026, with deadlines for submission of candidates set for July and August, as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
