Breaking: ‘I Was Never Interested in Being Tinubu’s Minister,' El-Rufai Breaks Silence
- APC's Nasir El-Rufai has reminded people that he was the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) many years back
- El-Rufai said those taunting him for not getting a ministerial appointment into the Bola Tinubu government are 'making an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place'
- According to the ex-Kaduna state governor, "If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder"
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.
Kaduna, Kaduna state - Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, has said he 'was not interested in any position in President Bola Tinubu's government'.
El-Rufai shared his comments on Thursday, January 30, while responding to a dig by a presidential spokesperson, Daniel Bwala.
The former governor said even if he were to be in the Tinubu government, he would hold the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government to account.
El-Rufai wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle:
"Good morning, @BwalaDaniel. I was cabinet minister 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.
"If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it - first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.
"I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019 - these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.
"Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in human scale of accountability, before any person or authority."
El-Rufai's fallout with APC
Aside from being a founding member of the APC, El-Rufai also played a significant role in the emergence of Tinubu as president in 2023.
Before the election, Messrs Tinubu and El-Rufai were not on the same political side, and there were instances where the two exchanged jabs. However, they appeared to have settled their political differences before the party’s presidential primary.
In 2022, during an event in Kaduna, Tinubu personally invited the former governor to abandon his plans to retire from public service and join his government if they won the election. However, El-Rufai’s nomination as a minister was rejected by the senate “acting on some petitions”. Many believed this was due to power struggles within the party.
In recent months, El-Rufai has been taking jabs at the presidency, including a cryptic post on X accusing the president of nepotism.
El-Rufai, Al-Mustapha, others meet
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Segun Showunmi, convener of the “National Opposition Movement” revealed that some top politicians met, including El-Rufai.
According to Showunmi, the meeting was at the instance of Shehu Gabam, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
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Source: Legit.ng
