A former senior All Progressives Congress (APC) official has provided insight into why former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was not appointed to President Tinubu’s cabinet, attributing it to security clearance issues rather than presidential preference.
Chief Henry Ajomale, former Chairman of the Conference of All Progressives Congress States Chairmen and ex-chairman of APC Lagos State, made the revelation in comments reported by The Sun newspaper.
Addressing El-Rufai’s current stance toward the administration, Ajomale characterized the former governor’s position as driven by disappointment over his ministerial exclusion.
“On El-Rufai, this is an inconsistent politician who is bitter because he was not made a minister,” Ajomale stated, suggesting that personal grievances influence the former governor’s current political positioning.
The former party chairman revealed details about the ministerial appointment process, indicating that President Tinubu had initially intended to include El-Rufai in his cabinet.
“In fairness to Tinubu, he wanted to appoint El-Rufai as a minister in his cabinet but El-Rufai failed security clearance, and without scaling that hurdle, nobody can be made a Minister,” Ajomale explained, pointing to procedural requirements that prevented the appointment.
He emphasized that the exclusion was not due to any personal decision by the president. “It wasn’t Tinubu’s fault that he failed to be made a minister but El-Rufai didn’t see it that way,” Ajomale concluded, suggesting that the former governor holds the president responsible for the outcome.
The comments shed light on the behind-the-scenes dynamics of cabinet formation and the security vetting process that all potential ministers must undergo before appointment.
