President Bola Tinubu is expected to announce a new Minister of Defence this week following the sudden resignation of the incumbent, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down citing health concerns.
Abubakar’s resignation, which takes immediate effect, was conveyed in a letter dated 1 December and addressed to the President. The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Monday evening by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds,” the statement read. It added that President Tinubu had accepted the resignation and expressed appreciation for Abubakar’s service to the country.
According to the Presidency, the President is expected to formally notify the Senate of his preferred nominee later this week, signalling that the process of appointing a new Defence Minister is already underway.
Abubakar, 63, served two terms as governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023 before joining the federal cabinet on 21 August 2023.
His departure comes at a crucial time for the administration, which is grappling with escalating insecurity—an issue that recently prompted President Tinubu to declare a nationwide state of security emergency.
In response, the President unveiled a series of measures including the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, deployment of forest guards, and enhanced protection for schools, churches and mosques in high-risk areas.
Abubakar’s stewardship of the ministry had faced persistent criticism from some analysts, who questioned his capacity to lead the nation’s defence sector.
Hours before his resignation was made public, President Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (retd.), at the State House.
Our correspondent observed Musa arriving at 7:03 p.m., dressed in a dark-green northern-style traditional outfit, before being escorted into the President’s office wing by senior security personnel. It was his first known visit to the Villa since his retirement on 24 October 2025.
While details of the meeting remain unclear, the encounter has intensified speculation over potential candidates to succeed Abubakar as Minister of Defence.
