President Bola Tinubu is expected to appoint a new Minister of Defence this week following the sudden resignation of Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down from the cabinet citing health reasons.
Abubakar’s resignation, which takes immediate effect, was communicated in a letter dated December 1 addressed to the President. The development was confirmed in a statement released Monday evening by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar stated that he was resigning on health grounds,” the statement read.
“President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his service to the nation. He will likely inform the Senate of Abubakar’s successor later this week,” the statement added, signaling that the process to appoint a new Defence Minister is already underway.
Abubakar, 63, served as a two-term governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023 before his appointment as Minister of Defence on August 21, 2023. His departure comes at a sensitive time for the administration, which is facing rising insecurity that recently prompted the President to declare a nationwide security emergency.
New measures introduced by the administration include recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, deploying forest guards, and boosting security for schools, churches, and mosques in vulnerable areas. Some analysts had also called for Abubakar’s removal, arguing that he was unfit to lead the ministry.
Hours before the resignation was announced, President Tinubu met privately with retired Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at the State House. Musa, who retired on October 24, 2025, was sighted arriving at 7:03 p.m. in dark-green northern-style attire, before being led into the President’s office by a senior security official.
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While the purpose of the meeting was not immediately confirmed, it has fueled speculation about who may succeed Abubakar as Defence Minister.
