- The former Kaduna governor also accused Tinubu of appointing only his “boys” from Lagos for key political positions.
The Special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has urged former Kaduna governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to stop behaving like a “crying child” and move past his ministerial rejection.
In July 2023, President Tinubu forwarded the list of individuals nominated for ministerial positions, including former Kaduna governor, el-Rufai, to the senate for assessment and approval.
The senate, however, declined to confirm former Kaduna governor’s nomination, citing security-related petitions that had been lodged against him.
During an interview with Arise TV on Monday, el-Rufai, asserted that Nigerians should dismiss claims suggesting that the national assembly denied his ministerial nomination.
Former Kaduna governor alleged that President Tinubu deliberately excluded him from his cabinet despite previously requesting that he suspend personal plans and accept the ministerial role.
Responding in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, special adviser on information and strategy to President Tinubu, Onanuga, criticised former Kaduna governor, for his “incessant complaints” regarding his exclusion from President Tinubu’s administration.
The presidential aide likened the former Kaduna governor’s remarks to those of a child “crying over spilt milk.”
“Well, as a person, I pity the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but I think it has been a long time now,” special adviser on information and strategy to President Tinubu, Onanuga, said.
“Ministers were appointed in August 2023, and I believe it’s time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread… crying over spilt milk, as we say.”
“It is natural for him to feel hurt and bad about being excluded. However, as the president acknowledged in his recent tribute to him, Nasir actually played a significant role in helping to install President Tinubu.”
“Still, if he is not part of the government, that does not mean he must bring down the roof. The president has nothing against him.”
“I believe Nasir feels naturally hurt by his exclusion, which is why he is going everywhere campaigning against the president. This shows a man who resents being left out of the moving train and refuses to let go.”
“As a brother and former governor, my advice to him is simple: he should forget about it if he was not made a minister.”
“He has been in public service since 1999, and I think the hurt started when he was not appointed a minister. That explains why he has been making these statements.”
“Even yesterday, in an interview with Arise TV, he claimed that it was the president who blocked his appointment.”
El-Rufai, had also hinted at leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
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