The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not be blamed for Nasir El-Rufai’s exclusion from the Ministerial appointments in this administration.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News Television, Onanuga acknowledged that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, played an active role in President Tinubu’s victory in the last presidential election.
He noted that President Tinubu fulfilled his part by nominating El-Rufai for a ministerial role, in line with their prior understanding. However, the nomination was rejected by the National Assembly. According to Onanuga, Tinubu had intended for El-Rufai to serve as the Minister of Power, but the Senate declined to confirm the appointment.
Onanuga emphasized that the blame for El-Rufai’s exclusion should not be directed at the President, but rather at the National Assembly, which holds the constitutional authority to approve or reject ministerial nominees.
His words: “Tinubu nominated El-Rufai for a Ministerial job but unfortunately the National Assembly turned down his nomination, so you can not put that one on the President. That blamed should go to the Senate that rejected his nomination. The President fulfilled his own part of the bargain, infact he was casting him to be Minister of Power but the Senate said no we aren’t going to approve this nomination”.
