Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has formally declared his intention to contest the Bauchi State governorship election in 2027, formally joining a race that has been expected since his resignation from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet last month. 

Tuggar submitted his resignation from the Federal Executive Council on March 30, 2026, a day ahead of the deadline set by the presidency for political appointees wishing to pursue elective office ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Tuggar, a native of Gamawa in Bauchi State, brings a richly layered political and diplomatic career into the governorship contest. He served as a member of the House of Representatives representing Gamawa Federal Constituency between 2007 and 2011, before later serving as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany from 2017 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He was subsequently appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in August 2023 by President Tinubu, a role in which he championed what he described as Nigeria’s Four-D foreign policy doctrine — centred on Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora. His tenure was also marked by economic diplomacy efforts, regional security cooperation, and the repatriation of stolen Nigerian artefacts from abroad.

In his declaration, Tuggar said his years of national and international service had deepened his understanding of governance challenges and sharpened his resolve to bring meaningful change to Bauchi.

He outlined an ambitious agenda covering healthcare reform, including improved maternal and child health services and expanded social protection; civil service reforms built around accountability and anti-corruption; clean energy expansion; women’s empowerment; and the development of the state’s solid mineral resources. He also promised housing support for workers, urban renewal, and the protection of minority rights, framing his bid as a collective vision rather than personal ambition.

The declaration marks Tuggar’s third attempt at the Bauchi governorship, having previously contested in 2011 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change and again in 2015, both without success. This time, he is expected to run under the All Progressives Congress, the ruling party at both state and federal levels, which could give his candidacy considerably more political weight than his previous outings. Political observers note that his close ties to the Tinubu administration and his standing as a former minister and career diplomat position him as a formidable entrant in what is likely to become a competitive internal party contest.

Bauchi State is currently governed by Senator Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party, who has been in office since 2019. With the 2027 elections still well over a year away, the political landscape in the state is beginning to crystallise as candidates from both the ruling party and the opposition begin to position themselves. Tuggar’s entry into the race is widely seen as one of the most significant developments in Bauchi’s political calendar so far, and his name is expected to dominate conversations within APC circles in the North-East as party primaries approach.