Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, has said his rejection as a ministerial nominee was a decision made by President Bola Tinubu, not the National Assembly.
He made this known on Monday on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.
The ex-FCT Minister said the President withdrew his nomination after publicly asking him to stay back following his exit from office.
El-Rufai narrated:
“Since I left office and the President asked me publicly to come and serve him, I had my plans and I told President Tinubu from day one when he asked me to support him, I would but I don’t want anything because politics in Nigeria is always about what do I get for giving you support.”
He continued:
“I’m not in politics for that reason.”
“I’m not in politics to get anything. I have a surname and I’m a self-made man. I made money before I came into public office.”
“I don’t need anything. I was almost burnt out for eight years in Kaduna, I was struggling for eight years and I wanted to take a break and I had my private plans.”
He added:
“The President publicly asked me to put my plans on hold and through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister and there were certain conditions I attached to that.”
El-Rufai explained:
“I think along the line, either the President changed his mind or something else.”
“Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me.”
“The National Assembly had nothing to do with this, the President didn’t want me in his cabinet, he changed his mind. Whatever it is, I don’t care and I’ve moved on.”
“Since I’ve moved on, I’ve not said a word, I’ve not granted an interview, I’ve not commented on the government but it is within my right as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress to ask why the party isn’t functioning.”
This is a rare insight into the complex politics of ministerial appointments in Nigeria.
Political analysts have observed that cabinet appointments in the country are often shrouded in secrecy and intrigue.For example, a 2022 CDD study showed that 45% of ministerial nominees were withdrawn during the process.
That’s how political games are played in Nigeria and personal relationship has so much influence in high places.
El-Rufai has proved himself to be a straight shooter and claimed to be a man of principles and not personal interests. This also brings to the fore the internal crisis in the All Progressives Congress, where even founding members of the party can disagree.