Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has clarified that his ministerial nomination was withdrawn not by the Senate, but by President Bola Tinubu himself.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday night, El-Rufai dismissed claims that his rejection was due to Senate opposition, asserting instead that Tinubu simply “changed his mind.”
“The National Assembly had nothing to do with it. The president didn’t want me in his cabinet,” he stated.
El-Rufai also criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamenting that the party’s leadership has been largely inactive since Tinubu took office.
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“I’m a founding member of the APC, but I am concerned about how the party is being run. Many of us made sacrifices to establish an internally democratic party with progressive ideals. Yet, two years after Tinubu’s election, none of the party organs is functioning, and those ideals are not being pursued with any vigor,” he remarked.
The former governor further revealed that his nomination was initially part of an agreement following extensive negotiations with Tinubu. He claimed the president personally sought his support and assured him of a ministerial position, but later backtracked.
“After I left office, the president publicly asked for my support, and I agreed without expecting anything in return. However, after two months of discussions, we settled on my ministerial nomination under certain conditions. Along the way, the president changed his mind. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me; they had nothing to do with it. The president didn’t want me in his cabinet,” he reiterated.
Addressing reports that security concerns led to his rejection, El-Rufai challenged the credibility of such claims, insisting no official report was presented against him.
“What security issue did the National Assembly have against me? Where is the report? There were far less qualified and less experienced individuals who made it through because the president intervened. He is human and entitled to change his mind,” he concluded.
El-Rufai’s remarks add to the ongoing political discourse surrounding Tinubu’s administration and the internal dynamics within the APC.
