Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially and willingly resigned on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Abuja. Appointed under President Bola Tinubu, he is leaving the government after several years leading the country’s diplomacy. The unofficial reason: a political ambition in his home state.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Tuggar announced his departure, stating that he is acting “in accordance with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the provisions of the electoral law.”
Officially, he does not cite a specific reason. But behind the scenes in Abuja, the reason is known: Yusuf Tuggar is preparing to run for governor of Bauchi State in northern Nigeria. Gubernatorial elections are scheduled for 2027.
The Nigerian electoral law requires federal government members to resign before running for election. Tuggar is therefore respecting the legal timeline with over two years in advance, indicating the seriousness of his political project.
Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is not a stranger in diplomatic circles. Before joining the Tinubu government, he served as the Nigerian ambassador to Germany from 2017 to 2023, spending six years in Berlin. This experience allowed him to build strong ties with Nigeria’s European partners.
At the helm of Foreign Affairs, he worked to redefine Nigerian diplomacy on the African and international stage, amidst regional turmoil from coups in the Sahel and shifting alliances.
His departure leaves a gap to fill at a time when Nigeria faces numerous diplomatic challenges, especially in its relationships with neighboring countries and major powers.
President Tinubu will have to appoint a successor in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Bauchi, where Tuggar now aims to fight another battle, at the polls in 2027.
