Experts Warn Tinubu: Don’t Appoint Another Politician as Power Minister

Stakeholders Push Back Against Political Successor for Power Ministry

As President Bola Tinubu searches for a replacement for resigned Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, industry voices are speaking with unusual urgency: do not give this job to a politician. The Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) and other sector stakeholders went public on Saturday with a direct warning to the presidency — Nigeria’s electricity crisis is too serious for another learning-on-the-job appointment.

Adelabu, a former banker who acknowledged his limited power sector knowledge when he was first appointed in 2023, resigned on April 22, 2026, citing his governorship ambition in Oyo State. His departure takes effect April 30, leaving the ministry in transition at a critical period for electricity sector reforms.

‘No Political Jobbers’ — APGC CEO

APGC Chief Executive Joy Ogaji was direct in her counsel to the presidency. “My advice as a sector player is for the President to pick no political jobbers and ethnicity if power is critical to his agenda,” she told Punch on Saturday.

Ogaji said the incoming minister must possess “requisite sector experience and expertise — not just number of years but proven solution-driven capacity.” She called for someone who is “tired of the status quo and can turn the power situation around as early as possible,” and urged that gender sensitivity also be factored into the decision.

Adetayo Adegbemle, convener of the PowerUp Nigeria initiative, echoed the sentiment. “Anyone who would be handling the power sector should be someone who has expressed sufficient knowledge on how things ought to be,” he said, adding that the appointment must go to someone with direct presidential trust and enough authority to make structural decisions.

Political Scramble Already Underway in Oyo

The calls for a technocrat are running against a parallel political scramble. Punch reports that multiple individuals with political ties to Oyo State — Adelabu’s home — are already lobbying the presidency for his ministerial slot. This is despite the fact that power sector appointments are not constitutionally tied to any state’s federal character quota in the same way as other ministries.

The contrast between stakeholder expectations and the political reality playing out in Abuja corridors underscores a long-standing tension in Nigerian governance: critical technical ministries are often treated as political rewards rather than specialist appointments.

Tinubu has not announced a timeline for naming Adelabu’s replacement.

Sources: Punch, BusinessDay