Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) amid corruption allegations levelled against him by the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in which he also said Gbenga Komolafe has left his position as the chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as their replacement.

The president wrote to the lawmakers, asking for the expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Saidu Mohammed as NMDPRA chief.

“The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry,” the statement read in part.

Hours before his resignation, the former NMDPRA chief visited Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

Dressed in traditional attire, the Bauchi-born spent less than 30 minutes before he left the premises.

While the reason for the visit was unclear, he also declined to speak with journalists, saying, “It’s already late for an interview. It’s past 5 p.m. Work has closed.”

His visit came in the wake of the brawl between him and Dangote, which saw the latter petitioning the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing Ahmed of corruption and financial impropriety.