Former Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s withdrawal of interest from being part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet unsettles the Presidency, ENigeria Newspaper can now report authoritatively.
Earlier, news of El-Rufais’s withdrawal of interest rented the air across various media platforms and despite his unbecoming silence since the news went viral, sources within the villa say President Tinubu is uncomfortable with the turn of events.
El-Rufai had reportedly visited the President at the villa on Tuesday upon his return from the United Kingdom, in the wake of the Senate’s decision to stand down his nomination until the web of security issues raised against him is resolved.
At the meeting, the president had reportedly told the former governor that he received some petitions critical of his ministerial nomination but needed up to 24 hours grace to review the petitions and the SSS report to the Senate to enable him to reach a decision.
But an intensely enraged El-Rufai quickly interjected, expressing his outright disappointment with the President, and as well informing him of his decision to stand down as a nominee for the Ministerial position.
“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”, Premium Times reported.
On the other hand, according to the Gazette, Mr. El-Rufai’s brutal candor before the president startled people around the Presidential Villa, with many fearing the political fallout that may follow.
The issue of security concerns raised against the former Kaduna State Governor by the Secret Police allegedly has the imprint of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who allegedly boosted the severity of a string of complaints against Mr. El-Rufai’s viability for a seat on the federal executive council to oppose his security clearance, other sources within the presidency abreast with the internal wrangling also revealed.
Mr Ribadu and other aides were said to have fervently pushed the president to consider the superfluity of damaging petitions submitted against Mr El-Rufai from different parts of the country, which ranged from allegations of fomenting ethnic clashes in Kaduna to allegedly cornering public funds among others.
Meanwhile, entreaties by concerned persons allegedly urging El-Rufai to seek for peaceful resolution with the NSA so he can reconsider any opposition against his nomination proved abortive as the former Governor specifically blamed the president for allowing Mr. Ribadu and other over-zealous security aides to withhold his security clearance and consequently allow rumours to proliferate about his status.
ENigeria Newspaper reports that Presidential sources who craved anonymity confided in our correspondent that President Tinubu feels uncomfortable with his current relationship status with his petit former ally and is constituting a number of emissaries to help convince him to reconsider his stance on the ministerial appointment.
“We know of his high level of competence, and the president would rather have him as an ally rather than even a cursory enemy,” an Aso Rock aide said of Mr. El-Rufai during the week.
Tinubu is said to be uncomfortable that with the raging Niger Republic situation in hand, Northern political forces who are already critical of his decision to consider going to war with the country under a coup de ’tat, may cue behind El-Rufai, hence brewing some political unrest for his government and within the APC enclave.
It would be recalled Mr El-Rufai backed Tinubu for president earlier this year, an endorsement largely seen as crucial to the campaign’s success in the electorally-lucrative northwestern region, and the fear of losing that support has gripped presidential aides who advised the President to ensure he restores his friendship with the former governor.
El-Rufai departed Abuja for Egypt on Thursday night, sources revealed, although it was unclear when he would be back in the country or how his future plans would unfold.
