A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has withdrawn his interest in being part of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, PREMIUM TIMES can exclusively report.

Presidency sources said Mr El-Rufai told President Tinubu at a meeting on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister but would continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria as a private citizen.

“He also told the president that he needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands,” one of our sources said.

Another insider also told this medium that the former governor suggested a new ministerial nominee — Jafaru Ibrahim Sani — for Kaduna State, saying the President would find him very useful and resourceful.

Mr Sani served as commissioner in three ministries in Kaduna State (Local Government Education and Environment) while Mr El-Rufai was governor.

Mr El-Rufai visited the President at the presidential villa a day after the Senate confirmed 45 ministerial nominees after a week-long screening of 48 of them.

The upper legislative chamber, however, withheld his confirmation and those of two others, citing security reports from the State Security Service for the action.

The two others were a former senator from Taraba, Sani Danladi, and a nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.

Our sources said on becoming aware of the Senate pronouncement on his case, Mr El-Rufai, who only returned to Nigeria from London on Monday, sought and got an appointment to meet the president.

At the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, President Tinubu, according to our sources, told the former governor he received some petitions critical of his ministerial nomination.

The president then asked for 24 hours grace to review the petitions and the SSS report to the Senate to enable him to reach a decision.

It was at that point that Mr El-Rufai responded that he was no longer interested in being minister since it appeared some forces around the president were scheming intensely to block his emergence as federal minister.

Mr El-Rufai had disclosed during his confirmation hearing on 1 August that Mr Tinubu asked him to work with him on the power problem facing the country.

According to him, the President had given a target of seven years for Nigeria to stop experiencing power outages in the country.

At the Tuesday meeting, Mr El-Rufai also reportedly told the President that since he would no longer be in the federal executive council, he would return the next day with his team to present the preliminary work done so far on the energy sector.

The team that accompanied the former governor to make presentations to the president on Wednesday includes Eyo Ekpo, a former commissioner at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Hafiz Bayero, a former commissioner and administrator of the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority; Tolu Oyekan of the Boston Consulting Group and Ayodele Oni, a lawyer.

Olu Verheijen, the special adviser to the President on Energy Matters, presented on Gas.

Mr El-Rufai is studying for a doctorate in public policy at the United Nations University, Maastricht.

His associates say as he prepared to leave office as governor in May this year, he had indicated his desire to exit public life and concentrate on his PhD programme.

But that was until then President-elect Tinubu asked him to join his cabinet so he could charge him with the responsibility of repositioning the inefficient power sector in Africa’s largest economy.

It is unclear what suddenly went wrong between the two men such that an agency of government would block Mr El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination without the president lifting a finger.

When contacted, Muyiwa Adekeye, the media adviser to Mr El-Rufai, declined to comment for this story.

helinues:
Why was he selected in the first place?

GO0DHardDick:


This is exactly why the drug lord should be kicked out ASAP.

Werey was busy making his fellow criminal gangs ministers

dre11:

Mr El-Rufai had disclosed during his confirmation hearing that Mr Tinubu asked him to work with him on power.

“He also told the president that he needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands,” one of our sources said.

he forgot about his doctorate programme when he went for the screening he is going to mobilize his bokoharams outside the country

He cannot take a quarter of what he dishes out to others

He desperately wants to work as NSA while as a governor, his people had no vote of confidence in him especially people in the southern Kaduna

helinues:


Kick out and replace him with your dad?

GO0DHardDick:


No, your grandfather will be much better! 🤡

dre11:

Mr El-Rufai had disclosed during his confirmation hearing that Mr Tinubu asked him to work with him on power.




https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/615596-exclusive-el-rufai-withdraws-interest-in-ministerial-appointment-recommends-replacement.html

Nlfpmod

helinues:


Kick out and replace him with your dad?

helinues:
Why was he selected in the first place?

helinues:
Why was he selected in the first place?

Wisereborn:

It will be very shameful if he accepts any appointments again after this decline

It won't be new shall

Nigerian politicians are shameless!!!

Ofunaofu:


This question should be directed to your drug lord

helinues:
El Rufai actually said it before the election that he won't be part of this government, I argued earlier about it before the presentation of Ministers list but was surprised to see El Rufai's name

helinues:
APC supporters are not zombies, we can question our principals when they are misbehaving.

Racoon:
This is to tell you that the heroine and cocaine sniffing drug baron man really took his stuffs the day he sent his name for nomination as a minister. Even the DSS led by Yusuf Bichi that your druglord venerates is more smarter than him.

helinues:
You don wail so tey you no get meat for body again. Sha remember you still have 7 years plus more to wail, add that to your current old age

helinues:


Apc supporters are not zombies, we can question our principals when they are misbehaving.

Racoon:
And you lots especially you, Seunmsg, , NgeneUkwenu justified all the devilish policies of the Buhari - Osinbajo regime that have wrecked this nation today? And you lots justified the 8k palliatives as the best thing after slice bread?

Ofunaofu:


but their actions here speak otherwise

helinues:
Don't get thin like Panla fish all in the name of wailing.Do something meaningful with your time

helinues:


El Rufai actually said it before the election that he won't be part of this government, I argued earlier about it before the presentation of Ministers list but was surprised to see El Rufai's name

Were you also surprised to see him go for the screening

Racoon:
I make more sense here than you. I challenge you to ask nairalanders their opinions now. Create a thread for it.

helinues:


Your sense with no major winning support since 2015?
What happened to Onnoghen GEJ, Atiku, Obi, Pantami, Kyari arguments with confident ?

Sensible people no dey support things that are meant to be doomed