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Nasir-El-Rufai

Nasir-El-Rufai

El-Rufai says Tinubu gave the order for Senate rejection of his ministerial nomination

 

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has dismissed the claim that he was dropped in the cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of a security report.

During an Arise News interview with Charles Aniagolu, El-Rufai accused President Tinubu of dropping him from his cabinet pick for reason which only the president knows.

He said: “What is the security issue? Where is the report? Has anyone released the report? There were other nominees with controversial issues that were cleared because the president made the call. The president simply changed his mind,” El-Rufai said.

The former governor also said it was Tinubu that initially cajoled him to accept the nomination to serve as power minister, telling him ‘let’s join hands to defeat the electricity mafia.’

According to El-Rufai, that was the challenge that made him accept the offer to serve, only to be dumped during Senate screening after Tinubu changed his mind.

In the interview, El-Rufai also knocked President Tinubu’s support for importation of food stuffs claiming that would undermine loca food production.

He said the APC has left him, and he’s likely to join another platform to continue to pursue his progressive politics.

He said he may not support Tinubu in 2027 because of certain factors.

He said Tinubu was never his friend, and had never been close to him. He promised that in 2027, he would consult widely before making the decision of who to support.