Following the alleged decision of the immediate former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to back out of his ministerial nomination on Friday, reports had revealed that the former FCT minister, allegedly sensed some fowl-play by the president.
Premium Politics reported that El-Rufai was one of the three personalities, denied confirmation by the Senate, out of the 48 ministerial nominees, of President Bola Tinubu.
The Senate withheld El-Rufai’s confirmation on Monday, citing security concerns, as the reason why he was not cleared alongside others, who have received their confirmation.
The Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, however, claimed that the States Security Services had raised some security concerns about him, but he failed to disclose the details of the concerns.
Meanwhile, in a turn of events on Friday, the report revealed that El-Rufai had allegedly backed out of his ministerial nomination, telling Mr President to nominate one of his former commissioners in Kaduna state, Jafaru Ibrahim Sani as his replacement.
The former governor who allegedly told the President that he would prefer to contribute to Nigeria’s development as a private citizen, reportedly said the decision would allow more concentration on his doctorate programme in the Netherlands.
The alleged withdrawal of the former governor, who was reportedly nominated as minister of power, to carry out some reforms in the country’s power sector, came as a surprise to many.
El-Rufai is a known politician with a track record of achievement. He was previously the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, from 2003 to 2007, under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and he brought a remarkable development to the FCT.
However, sources close to the former Kaduna governor had reportedly revealed that he was disappointed by the Senate’s decision to deny him security clearance, saying that he felt that the concerns raised by the SSS were unfounded.
The sources also revealed that El-Rufai was unhappy with the way that the president handled the situation, stating that Tinubu did not do enough to support El-Rufai and that he appeared to be indifferent to the matter.
According to the sources, El-Rufai’s allege withdrawal also has something to do with power play within the administration, alleging that some powerful figures in the administration were reportedly opposed to El-Rufai’s appointment and they used the security concerns as an excuse to block his chances.
According to Daily Trust, a source disclosed that “Some very powerful Nigerians, it appears, are not comfortable with the kind of reforms El-Rufai was bringing to the power and energy sector.
“Every reform attracts some form of resistance, and so, what El-Rufai did as minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was possible because he had the tenacity to do it but also because he had the support of his principal, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. People still tried to stand in the way of the reforms but because there was political will, it was done.”
Similarly, a source close to the former governor said he decided to withdraw his ministerial appointment even before he held the meeting with the president.
“What happened on Monday couldn’t have happened except there was some nod and wink from the place where the nomination came from, a source said, referring to Tinubu.
Another source said, “He never begged for it. He was begged to come and work for them, and when he finally agreed, they subjected him to what happened on Monday.
“Some very powerful people are not comfortable with him and the president is now part of it.
“Why will the State Security Service (SSS) clear people with corruption cases; some nationally and even internationally, and then fail to clear El-Rufai? It is political and, unfortunately, the president would allow himself to be part of this.”
Also commenting on the issue, an associate professor of Political Sociology from the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari, said El-Rufai was caught in the labyrinth of intricate power play and machinations by his political antagonists, and those afraid of his rising profile.
“He is easily one of the most cerebral and capable of the ministerial nominees, with a rich pedigree and track record of achievements as a technocrat and public servant.
“He more than demonstrated this during his response to questions at the senate screening,” Prof Kari said.
“What happened was, therefore, a grand gang-up against the former Kaduna State governor by powerful forces, including some within the presidency and the security services,” he said, adding that “the most surprising of all, however, is Tinubu’s response to the whole thing.
“The president didn’t do as much as lift a finger to support El-Rufa’i. This is very significant politically, considering who El- Rufai is and the role he played in Tinubu’s emergence. Tinubu didn’t show this inexplicable inertia and indifference toward Akpabio or even Ganduje despite the very atrocious reputation they have had to contend with,” he added.
