The ex Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has affirmed that he never sought ministerial appointment into President Bola Tinubu’s government, even though he underwent the screening exercise. Telling BBC Hausa, El-Rufai explained that President Tinubu invited him personally into the cabinet to help his dream of a reliable electricity supply.
“Others believe I resigned because I wasn’t given a job as a minister, but I never asked to be a minister,” El-Rufai added.
I attended to watch the screening since the President begged me to work with him. He visited me in Kaduna, and we discussed his vision of having uninterrupted power supply, and he begged me to help him attain it. I believed he was serious then,” he added.
El-Rufai dismissed claims his reason for quitting the All Progressives Congress (APC) was based on personal ambition, saying that his support for Tinubu was guided by political justice and regional rotation.
“I supported Tinubu because Yoruba Muslim politicians were politically strained in the South-West, and I believed it was proper for the presidency to rotate to the South in 2023,” he added.
El-Rufai further revealed that he advised former President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving APC to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“On Friday, I saw Buhari and told him that I was leaving the party. I don’t take major political decisions without informing him. Even as Kaduna governor, I would seek his advice before appointing commissioners,” he unveiled.
El-Rufai criticized the party in power, which he condemned for overlooking its foundation values and selling personal loyalty before merit.
“APC has abandoned the people. Government has become business where everything is for sale. Appointments are being given to people only from Lagos. Party is lost,” he stated.
Before leaving the APC, El-Rufai said he consulted political figures, including Tunde Bakare, Buhari, Abdullahi Adamu, Adams Oshiomhole, and Bisi Akande. When asked about his political mentors, El-Rufai admitted that Buhari played a key role in his political career but refused to disclose others.
“I have political mentors I seek advice from before making a decision. My first political mentor is Muhammadu Buhari. I will not say others because if I do, people will start putting pressure on them,” he said.
His exit from the APC is a big shift in the political landscape, as he remains critical of the leadership and direction of the party.
