Kano Governor Orders Appointees Seeking Election To Resign Within Seven

Kano Governor Orders Appointees Seeking Election to Resign Within Seven DaysKano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has directed all political appointees and public servants who intend to contest elective offices in the upcoming 2027 general elections to resign their positions within seven days, setting a strict deadline of Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The resolution was issued via an official statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Faruq Ibrahim, on Tuesday. It mandates that affected officials including commissioners, special advisers, directors‑general, executive secretaries, managing directors, senior special assistants, senior special reporters, special assistants, special reporters, and personal assistants must either resign or retire from service on or before the March 31 deadline if they plan to run for elective offices. Governor Yusuf’s directive cites the provisions of the Electoral Act, particularly the rules governing the conduct of public officers who wish to participate in partisan politics. The order aims to ensure compliance with the law and uphold principles of neutrality and accountability within the public service. Officials who fail to comply by the set deadline risk violating the governing regulations that regulate the participation of public officers in political contests. The statement makes particular reference to the legal framework that bars public office holders from engaging in electoral contests without first relinquishing their appointed roles. According to the statement, copies of the resignation directive have been forwarded to key offices including

• Chief of Staff to the Governor
• Head of Civil Service
• Clerk of the Kano State House of Assembly
• Chief Registrars of both the High Court and Sharia Court of Appeal in Kano State.

These measures reflect efforts by the state government to enforce adherence to the Electoral Act and ensure that there is no conflict between official duties and political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Electoral Act in Nigeria contains provisions that restrict public officers from participating in partisan politics without resigning from public service often enforcing a required resignation period before primaries or official contest dates to avoid conflict of interest and maintain civil service neutrality.