Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has reaffirmed his critical stance on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asserting that his position would remain unchanged even if he were part of the current government.
El-Rufai’s comments were in response to Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communications to President Tinubu, who questioned the former governor’s loyalty and motives on social media platform X. Bwala had asked, “My Senior brother if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position?”
Responding on Thursday, El-Rufai clarified his stance on X, stating, “If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it – first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.”
El-Rufai also dismissed allegations of seeking a ministerial position in Tinubu’s administration, emphasizing his long-standing disinterest in such roles. He criticized “latter-day converts” to the Tinubu government, saying, “The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”
He further highlighted his commitment to integrity over personal gain, addressing Bwala directly: “Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority.”
This exchange comes after El-Rufai described the state of governance and opposition in Nigeria as a “national emergency” during a conference in Abuja. He also criticized the lack of internal democracy within the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”
The APC responded by accusing El-Rufai of treachery, highlighting the ongoing tension within the party and its leadership.