Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that his exclusion from President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list was a direct decision made by the president himself and had nothing to do with the National Assembly. According to a report by The VANGUARD, El-Rufai stated that contrary to popular belief, the Senate did not reject his nomination on the grounds of security concerns.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday, the former governor categorically dismissed claims that the legislative body played any role in his omission from Tinubu’s ministerial appointments. Instead, he asserted that it was solely the president’s decision to withdraw his nomination.
“The National Assembly had absolutely no hand in the matter,” El-Rufai said. “The truth is simple—President Bola Tinubu did not want me in his cabinet. There was no interference from the Senate, no security concerns that influenced the decision. The choice was entirely his.”
El-Rufai, a prominent figure and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also voiced his discontent with the way the party has been managed since Tinubu took office. He criticized the apparent inactivity of APC’s internal structures, expressing concerns over the abandonment of the party’s founding principles and progressive ideals.
“As someone who was deeply involved in the formation of the APC, I find it deeply concerning that the party’s leadership has become largely dormant,” he said. “Many of us made great sacrifices to ensure that the APC was built as a party founded on democratic values, one that truly represented progressive governance. Unfortunately, two years into Tinubu’s presidency, none of the party’s core organs are functioning. There seems to be no real commitment to the progressive ideals that we initially set out to uphold.”
Reflecting on his relationship with Tinubu, El-Rufai disclosed that before the 2023 general elections, the president personally sought his support. Despite El-Rufai’s initial reluctance, he eventually agreed to back Tinubu’s candidacy after several rounds of discussions. He recalled that during their negotiations, Tinubu assured him of a ministerial nomination, but with certain conditions attached. However, despite their agreement, the president later reversed his decision.
He added: “Since I left office and the president begged me publicly to support him, I said I would and I don’t want anything. I am a self-made man I don’t need anything. Through two months of negotiations we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister and there were certain conditions I attached to that, along the line, either the president changed his mind. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me, they had nothing to do with it, the president didn’t want me in his cabinet,” he stated.
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