El-Rufai Stands by His Words on Tinubu’s Govt Despite Political Firestorm
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has said his opinions about the President Bola Tinubu government will remain the same whether he is in the government or not.
He made the statement in response to Daniel Bwala, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications.
El-Rufai had earlier described the state of governance and opposition in Nigeria as a “national emergency” during a conference in Abuja on democracy strengthening.
He lamented the lack of internal democracy in the APC, saying key party organs had not met for two years. He said the APC structure had degenerated to the point where nobody knew who was in charge.
His comments triggered a response from the party, with APC officials accusing him of being a traitor.
Bwala, in particular, asked if El-Rufai would have said the same if he was in Tinubu’s government.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bwala reminded El-Rufai of his role in shaping the administration and said his current criticism was inconsistent with his past political engagements.
El-Rufai replied on X on Thursday, dismissing claims he was seeking a ministerial appointment in the Tinubu government.
He said he was a cabinet minister 22 years ago and had told President Tinubu he was not interested in any position in the government. He called out those who were still peddling the narrative that he wanted to be part of the government as opportunists who had only recently joined Tinubu’s camp.
El-Rufai added that if he was in government, his position would not have changed.
The ex-governor said he would have first raised the issues privately with those involved and if no action was taken, he would have gone public.
He asked his critics to review his public service record which dates back to 1998 to understand his consistency in speaking out against governance failures.
El-Rufai also took a jab at what he called “political mercenaries” who he said were being paid from government funds to defend every action of the government even when it was indefensible.
He acknowledged Bwala as a “decent person” but said loyalty to the country and God should come before personal or political allegiances.