Tuggar to Quit as Foreign Affairs Minister for Bauchi Governorship Race

Tuggar to Quit as Foreign Affairs Minister for Bauchi Governorship Race

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, is expected to resign from his position to contest the governorship of Bauchi State ahead of the 2027 elections.

Sources familiar with the development said that, barring any last-minute change, the minister will step down in line with a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu requiring all political appointees seeking elective office to resign on or before March 31, 2026.

The directive was announced in a statement by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, through its Head of Information and Public Relations, Dewan Goshit.

Tuggar’s planned exit comes shortly after the 2026 national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where attention has now shifted to cabinet members believed to be preparing for electoral contests.

Supporters of the minister from Bauchi, who attended the convention, hinted that a formal declaration of his governorship ambition is imminent, citing growing support for his candidacy within the state.

Before his current role, Tuggar represented the Gamawa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. He later served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany between 2017 and 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2023.

With the resignation deadline approaching, focus remains on political appointees expected to comply with the directive as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.