Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd), former Chief of Air Staff and ex-governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, has announced his resignation from active politics.

Abubakar, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, made the announcement in a brief statement posted on his official X account on Sunday.

The retired air force chief said he was leaving what he described as the “murky waters of Nigerian politics.”
“I say goodbye to the murky waters of Nigerian politics,” he wrote.
“I no longer belong to any political party and will therefore not vie for any office.

“However, I will continue to support ordinary Nigerians to the best of my ability.”

After retiring from military service, Abubakar was appointed Nigeria’s ambassador to Chad. In 2022, he emerged as the APC governorship candidate in Bauchi State ahead of the 2023 general election.

He came second in the election with 432,272 votes, losing to the incumbent governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Bala Mohammed, who secured 525,280 votes.

Abubakar had recently been speculated to be considering another governorship bid under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections following consultations with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He resigned from the APC and joined the ADC in July 2025 after aligning with opposition coalition leaders.