The Ethics of Resignation: Honor in Departure, Integrity in Return
By Mohammed Babagana Abubakar
28 Feb,2026
The political landscape of our state has reached a crossroads of accountability. With the recent strategic realignment of His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the NNPP to the APC, the masks of “public service” are falling away, revealing the true intentions of those who served in his cabinet.
While the Governor’s move is a calculated step toward better oversight and federal synergy, the reaction of certain appointees has been telling. Some have resigned, citing “principle,” yet they cling to the physical perks of the office they have abandoned.
This is not just a political disagreement; it is a test of character and a question of constitutional law.
The opposition’s attempt to claim that officials have a “right” to retain government vehicles and property is a legal fallacy. Under the Civil Service Rules and the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, government assets are attached to the Office, not the Individual.
A vehicle assigned to a Commissioner or Special Adviser is a tool for service delivery.
When that service ends whether by dismissal or voluntary resignation the legal right to possess that tool terminates immediately.
To hold onto these assets is to engage in the “unlawful conversion of public property,” an act that the Governor is constitutionally mandated to prosecute.
Those who resigned did so under the influence of “godfatherism,” choosing a sinking ship over the progress of the state. The NNPP’s current leadership crisis, highlighted by INEC’s exclusion of their candidates in recent bye-elections, shows a party in disarray.
By resigning, these ex-officials have signaled that their loyalty lies with a person or a party, not with the citizens. If their loyalty to the NNPP is so absolute, why are they so desperate to keep the properties of an APC-led government? True honor suggests that if you reject the leader, you must also reject the benefits that come from that leader’s mandate.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has shown immense intellectual maturity. He recognized that for the state to thrive, it must be aligned with a platform that offers stability and growth. His call for the return of government property is not an act of “vendetta”; it is an act of preservation.
Every day a resigned official keeps a state vehicle is a day a new appointee is hindered from performing their duties for the people. It is a direct sabotage of the state’s development.
The opposition is currently attempting to spin this as a “harassment” of former colleagues. Let us be clear: Asking for the return of what belongs to the public is not harassment; it is transparency. If the opposition truly believes in “justice” and “equity,” they should be the first to advise their members to return the keys. To do otherwise is to admit that their politics is fueled by entitlement rather than service.
To the outgoing cabinet members: your resignation may have been a political choice, but your refusal to return state assets is a moral failure. You cannot “stand with the people” while you are sitting in a car that belongs to the people’s government.
Honor is found in the exit. Leave the office with your head held high by returning what belongs to the state. Prove that your resignation was about “principle” and not just a failed attempt to hold onto power.
