The governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, has made a key revelation about the ministerial ordeal of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination and rejection by the Senate
Sule said Nasir El-Rufai, as a ministerial nominee by the Senate was based on reasons cited by the Department of State Services (DSS), but the matter was not discussed within the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF).
The governor emphasized that El-Rufai’s nomination as a minister was entirely the prerogative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his rejection was a decision made by the National Assembly, a process in which the PGF had no role.
Sule, spoke when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, January 8.
He said:
“When the whole exercise had taken place, I asked very few questions because I was managing a state that was already complicated in its own way.
“But usually in my own way, I don’t get into issues that are too much not directly affecting me or my state, Nasarawa.
“So, I saw the way that he was nominated (El-Rufai) as a ministerial candidate. His successor, who happens to be my good friend, Senator Uba Sani, is somebody who is also very close to me; I will tell you I asked him very little about El-Rufai.
“But what led to his nomination, rejection by the senate or by the security agencies are not issues that we discuss at the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF)’s meeting or even the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (PGF). Because what doesn’t concern us, we can do nothing about it.
“It is the prerogative of Mr President to nominate whoever should be his minister and he nominated. Also, the National Assembly will either confirm or reject ministerial nominees ; and they rejected El-Rufai. And somebody like me, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Legit.ng reported that in 2023, Tinubu nominated El-Rufai as one of his ministers three months after his inauguration, following his significant role in President Tinubu’s electoral victory.
However, El-Rufai fell out with the movers and shakers in Tinubu’s government and was rejected by the Senate during the ministerial screening process.
The upper legislative chamber cited security reasons from the Department of State Services as one of the reasons for his rejection.
Watch Governor Sule’s full interview below:
Presidency tackles El-Rufai
According to one of the presidential spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga, the claim is ridiculous.
Onanuga spoke after El-Rufai weighed in on Professor Farooq Kperogi’s recent criticism of alleged ethnic favouritism in President Tinubu’s appointments.
