Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that it was President Bola Tinubu, not the National Assembly, who was behind his exclusion from the ministerial list, dismissing claims that the Senate rejected his nomination due to security concerns.
In a televised interview on Monday, El-Rufai firmly stated, “The National Assembly had nothing to do with it, the president didn’t want me in his cabinet.” He rejected the narrative that security concerns played a role in the decision, adding that the real reason for his exclusion was a change of heart by President Tinubu.
El-Rufai, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also voiced his frustration with the party’s leadership under Tinubu, expressing concern over its inactivity. “I’m a founding member of the APC, but I have concerns about how the party is being run,” he said. “How many people sacrificed a lot to ensure that it was an internally democratic party with progressive ideals? Two years after the election of President Tinubu, none of the party organs is functioning. The progressive ideals are not being pursued with any vigour.”
The former governor recalled his negotiations with President Tinubu, revealing that after a series of discussions, the president personally asked for his support and assured him of a ministerial position with certain conditions attached. However, El-Rufai said the president later withdrew the offer.
“Since I left office, the president begged me publicly to support him. I said I would and I don’t want anything. I am a self-made man; I don’t need anything. Through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister, and there were certain conditions I attached to that. Along the line, either the president changed his mind,” El-Rufai explained.
Addressing the alleged security concerns that were cited for his rejection, El-Rufai challenged the claim, demanding to know the source of the allegations. “What was the security issue the National Assembly had against me? Where is the report?” he asked. “There were far less qualified, less experienced people who scaled through because the president made a call. He’s a human being, and he’s entitled to change his mind.”
El-Rufai’s comments provide a direct rebuttal to the narrative surrounding his exclusion, focusing blame squarely on President Tinubu’s change of decision rather than any external pressures from the National Assembly.
