Adelabu Sticks To Office Amid Expectations Of Resignation, Apologises Over Epileptic Power Supply 

In what appears as valedictory press conference, Minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Tuesday apologized to the nation over the protracted epileptic power supply over the last three years of his tenure.

The Minister who is expected to resign his appointment, going by his apparent display of interest in contesting for the Governorship of Oyo state, however parried questions about his resignation.

OPTIMUM TIMES recalled that President Bola Tinubu, on March 18th ordered all political appointees under his administration who intend to contest elective offices in the forthcoming 2027 general elections to resign their appointments on or before March 31, 2026.

He explained that the directive is pursuant to the provisions of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, as well as the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

But speaking at the press conference on his achievements in the last three years, Adelabu said: “I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the minister of power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere.

“Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”

He traced the challenges confronting the power sector to shortfalls in gas supply to Generation Companies and accumulated debts owed to GenCos which currently is estimated at over N6 trillion.

According to the Minister, “These issues collectively impact both the quantity and quality of gas delivered to power plants, leading to underutilisation of installed generation capacity, increased outages, and inefficiencies in power production.”

He proffered solutions advising that there is need to scale up renewable energies which he described as “cost-effective and sustainable pathway to expand access without overburdening the national grid,”

On his anticipated resignation given the deadline given by President Tinubu, he indicated that the timeframe has not elapsed.

He said: “What matters to me most now is this job that I am doing as the Honourable Minister of Power.

“We have between now and March 31, if I am interested, in the gubernatorial contest in Oyo State. It is all about service, either at the national level or at the sub-national level.”