Abba Dukawa
In an explosive expose, former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has disclosed that contrary to widespread belief, the national assembly didn’t reject him as a ministerial nominee.
Rather, he accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of betraying him by changing his mind regarding having him in his (Tinubu’s) cabinet despite publicly appealing to him to put his plans on hold and become a member of his cabinet.
In July 2024, President Tinubu sent the list of ministerial nominees, including el-Rufai’s, to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
In August 2024, the senate withheld the nomination of el-Rufai, Stella Okotete (Delta), and Danladi Abubakar (Taraba), citing security clearance.
Reacting to the issue for the first time while appearing as a guest on ARISE NEWS on Monday, February 24, 2025, el-Rufai alleged that the security clearance issue was a ruse to mask the President’s change of mind.
“I think along the line, either the president changed his mind or something else, because, 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, frankly, I don’t care, and I told him and I moved on. Since I moved on, I have not said a word, I have not granted any interview, I have not commented on the government, but it is within my right as a founding member of the APC, as one of the 34 people that signed the INEC formed that got the party registered, it is within my right to ask why is my party not functioning, and that’s all.”
When asked if he was certain that Tinubu changed his mind on the agreed ministerial position, as the National Assembly has said that he failed to meet the ministerial criteria based on security issues, El-Rufai responded,
“What was the security issue? I had been a governor for eight years in one of the most difficult states in the country, okay? I had been a minister 20 years earlier. I’ve been in public life for the last 25, 26 years. What is the security issue? Where is the report? What about other ministers far less qualified, far less experienced, with huge controversies around them that scaled through because the president made a call?
“So please, leave that aside, I don’t want to focus too much on that. The president is a human being, and he is entitled to change his mind, and it’s not an issue. It is a job I didn’t want in the first place. So, the slightest opportunity I had, the security thing was a good thing for me, because it enabled me to say Mr President, I’m gone, and I went home with my life. Now, since then, has anyone released that report?
“What is the security issue, what is this, what is that? The only reason I’m talking about this is because anytime I make any comment about whether the party is running or not running – or, I visit a friend of mine, Tinubu’s hacks go on, oh, it’s because he didn’t get a ministerial nomination.
“Guys, I was a minister 20 years ago in my forties, and I told Tinubu I did not want to be minister, I was not interested. He appealed to me, begged me, and he gave me a challenge.
“What was the challenge? Nobody has sorted out electricity, no president has defeated the electricity mafia, you and I can work to defeat it. It was the challenge that made me accept it. Now, I had an opportunity to serve my country, and the person that gave me that opportunity changed his mind, and it’s okay. I’ve moved on with my life.
Continuing his expose, El-Rufai, accused Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser to President Tinubu of being behind a sinister plot to tarnish his reputation because of his (Ribadu’s) presidential ambition.
He further alleged that Ribadu is attempting to eliminate any potential competition from the North ahead of his presidential ambition.
Hear him; “Ribadu is behind the project to destroy El-Rufai and my reputation. But so far, it has been frustrating for them. They have not found anything to use against me.
“So, they are now going to lower-level officers who worked with me, trying to convince them to implicate me in exchange for having their problems resolved.
“The ICPC is now a charade. The EFCC is more professional.
“I swear to you and God, I have not taken a penny that I was not supposed to. In fact, as governor, my deputy and I donated 50% of our entitlements, and I have records to prove it.
“Ribadu wants to be President of Nigeria, and his plan is to eliminate every Northerner who appears to be competition” he stated.
He went on to say that the NSA is no longer his friend. “Ribadu is not my friend. We used to be friends” he added
