Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu, and not the National Assembly, was responsible for his failed ministerial nomination.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Monday evening, which SaharaReporters monitored, El-Rufai disclosed that despite being a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a key ally of Tinubu, he was deliberately sidelined.
“Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me. The National Assembly has nothing to do with it. The President did not want me in his cabinet,” El-Rufai stated.
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and ex-governor of Kaduna further disclosed that Tinubu personally appealed to him to join his administration but he later changed his mind after negotiations had been concluded.
“The President begged me publicly to come and serve in his government. I have known President Tinubu from day one. When he asked me to support him. I said I would, but I didn’t want any post,” he explained.
He continued: “After two months of negotiations we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister and then there were certain conditions I attached. I think, along the line, either the President changed his mind or something else.
“I am a founding member of the APC and I have concerns about the way the party is being run and I have expressed those concerns. I have no issue with the Tinubu administration.”
El-Rufai’s revelations come amid growing reports of a widening rift between him and Tinubu, fuelling speculation about deeper cracks within the APC.
There have been lingering tensions between different factions of the ruling party, with Tinubu’s loyalists consolidating power while some key figures from the Buhari era—El-Rufai included — find themselves sidelined.
The APC has been embroiled in internal struggles since Tinubu took office, with allegations of betrayal, backstabbing, and power struggles dominating political discussions.
El-Rufai’s fallout with Tinubu reportedly stems from multiple factors, including policy disagreements and the president’s shifting alliances.
It is also widely believed that some influential figures within the presidency and security agencies opposed his nomination due to his perceived radical stance on governance and controversial past statements.
With the APC facing increasing internal strife, El-Rufai’s latest remarks add fuel to the fire, raising questions about the stability of Tinubu’s administration and the direction of the ruling party as the 2027 elections approach.