Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is preparing to leave the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu without fulfilling his widely publicized target of boosting electricity supply to 6,000 megawatts.
This development follows a directive from the president mandating all ministers, aides, and political appointees with ambitions to contest in the 2027 general elections to resign on or before March 31, 2026. The order aligns with provisions of the amended Electoral Act, which requires public office holders seeking elective positions to step down ahead of political campaigns.
Adelabu, who has already declared his intention to run for the governorship of Oyo State, is among those directly affected by the directive. With the deadline fast approaching, sources within the Ministry of Power indicate that his resignation is imminent. 
Although his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, has yet to officially respond to inquiries, a senior official within the ministry confirmed that the minister is ready to exit the cabinet to focus on his political ambition.
“He is prepared to step down. His primary focus now is the Oyo governorship race in 2027,” the source disclosed, adding that attention is already shifting to who will succeed him in a ministry grappling with persistent challenges.
The outgoing minister’s tenure has been overshadowed by ongoing struggles in Nigeria’s power sector. Despite setting a goal to raise electricity generation to 6,000MW, the country has continued to fall short. As of recent data, power distributed from the national grid hovered around 3,331MW—far below the target and insufficient to meet national demand.
Across the country, households and businesses continue to endure unstable electricity supply and frequent blackouts. Industry stakeholders have attributed the situation to a combination of factors, including inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, and mounting financial liabilities within the sector.
Power generation companies have also raised concerns over a backlog of debts estimated at over ₦6.8 trillion, which has strained operations and forced the shutdown of several gas-fired plants. As a result, generation capacity has fluctuated between 2,000MW and 3,900MW in recent months.
Adelabu had earlier missed his 2025 benchmark for improving power supply, and his imminent exit now leaves the 6,000MW target unmet. Analysts warn that whoever succeeds him will inherit a deeply troubled sector requiring urgent reforms, significant investment, and strong policy direction.
With Nigeria’s energy demands continuing to grow, the transition at the Ministry of Power comes at a critical time, raising fresh questions about how quickly meaningful improvements can be achieved in the country’s electricity supply.
