Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has communicated his withdrawal of interest in being part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet.
During a meeting held on Tuesday, between El-Rufai and the President, the former Governor conveyed his decision to drop ministerial aspiration and instead contribute to the development of Nigeria as a private citizen.
El-Rufai took the opportunity to propose Jafaru Ibrahim Sani as a suitable replacement for the Kaduna State ministerial slot. Sani, who served as a Commissioner in various ministries within Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s tenure as Governor, has been put forward as a competent candidate by the former Governor.
Credible News recalls that El-Rufai’s ministerial confirmation had faced some obstacles, with the Senate withholding his confirmation, along with those of two other nominees, based on security reports from the State Security Service. The other nominees were Sani Danladi, a former senator from Taraba, and Stella Okotete from Delta State.
During the meeting with Tinubu, El-Rufai acknowledged his awareness of the Senate’s decision and expressed his intention to discuss the matter with him.
The President informed El-Rufai that he had received petitions critical of the former Governor’s ministerial nomination. He requested a 24-hour window to review these petitions, as well as the Sate Security Service report submitted to the Senate, before making a final decision.
At this juncture, El-Rufai raised concerns about the emergence of potential hindrances orchestrated by certain individuals around the President that could block his path to becoming a federal minister. This realisation led him to firmly declare his withdrawal from the ministerial pursuit.
Credible News recalls that during El-Rufai’s confirmation hearing on August 1, he disclosed that Tinubu had assigned him the task of addressing Nigeria’s power challenges.
The President had set a seven-year target to resolve the persistent issue of power outages in the country.
