Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, is expected to resign from his position to pursue the Bauchi state governorship ahead of the 2027 elections, according to sources familiar with the development.

The anticipated move follows a directive by President Bola Tinubu requiring all political appointees seeking to contest elective positions in 2027 to resign on or before March 31, 2026.

Dewan Goshit, head of information and public relations at the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF), announced the directive in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Tuggar’s expected resignation comes in the wake of the recently concluded 2026 national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where most members of the party’s national working committee were returned unopposed.

Attention has also shifted to cabinet members believed to be nursing political ambitions but who were yet to formally declare their intentions.

Supporters of the minister from Bauchi state, who were part of the delegation to the convention, said a formal declaration of his governorship bid is imminent, citing growing political support for his potential candidacy.

Tuggar served as a member of the house of representatives representing Gamawa federal constituency from 2007 to 2011.

He was Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany from 2017 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, before his appointment as minister of foreign affairs in 2023.

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