The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has dismissed reports suggesting he plans to resign from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to pursue the governorship of Lagos State.
Alausa refuted the claims in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, stating that he remains fully committed to his responsibilities at the Federal Ministry of Education.
“We’re still hard at work here at the FME, don’t believe the rumours,” the minister wrote, putting to rest speculation about a possible political move ahead of the next election cycle.
The speculation emerged amid increasing political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to the election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties are scheduled to conduct their primary elections between April 23 and May 30.
Under Nigeria’s electoral guidelines, political appointees intending to contest for elective offices are required to resign from their current positions before participating in party primaries in order to secure their party’s nomination.
In addition, Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 mandates political parties to submit a comprehensive digital membership register to the electoral commission at least 21 days before the conduct of their primaries.
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The register, according to the law, must contain detailed information on each party member, including name, sex, date of birth, residential address, state, local government area, ward, polling unit, national identity number, and photograph, submitted in both hard and electronic copies.
The provision further states that only party members whose names appear in the register will be eligible to vote or be voted for during party primaries, congresses, and conventions.
Despite growing political permutations ahead of the 2027 elections, Alausa’s latest statement suggests he remains focused on his ministerial responsibilities for now, dismissing suggestions that he is preparing to join the Lagos governorship race.