Last Monday, the Senate, after screening the ministerial nominees in the list submitted by the President Bola Tinubu, said it confirmed 45 out of the 48 nominees and left out three.
It was however, a huge surprise that the Senate failed to confirm the nomination of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Senate did not also confirm the ministerial nomination of the former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Senator Abubakar Danladi and the nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.
THEWILL gathered that El- Rufai, probably jolted by his non-clearance by the senate told President Tinubu during his visit to him last Tuesday afternoon that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister.
El-Rufai had last Tuesday paid the President a visit and Tinubu was said to have told him that he received some petitions that were critical of his ministerial nomination.
He was said to have asked to be given time to review the petitions and a report by the Department of State Security (DSS) and get back to the Senate. But a report quoting sources within the Presidency said El-Rufai informed President Tinubu that he would no longer consider his nomination as a minister in the government.
He reportedly assured Tinubu that he would continue to contribute his quota to national development as a private citizen.
The report said El-Rufai recommended Jafaru Ibrahim Sani who served as commissioner in three ministries – Local Government, Education and Environment in Kaduna State – as his replacement to President Tinubu.
El-Rufai, according to the report, told Tinubu that he ‘needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands’ and assured him that he would find Sani ‘very useful and resourceful’ in the government.
Reports, however, added that the spokesman to El-Rufai, Muyiwa Adekeye, is yet to speak on the matter.
The alleged withdrawal of El-Rufai from Tinubu’s incoming cabinet comes on the heel of a call by the former Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign, Dr. Doyin Okupe, that the Senate should ask Nasir El-Rufai to write an undertaking before his confirmation.
Okupe said El-Rufai should be made to sign an undertaking not to make comments on religion. He urged the Senate to reconsider its decision to drop El-Rufai as a minister.
Tweeting, Okupe said El-Rufai has the capacity to handle the power crisis in Nigeria. He said, “I am not a fan of Mallam El-Rufai, who I consider to be a radical of sorts and who has in the recent past demonstrated some traits of religious extremism. Still, very few people will doubt El-Rufai’s competence and immense capacity to perform.
“The Senate may insist on an undertaking from him before his confirmation that while in office as minister, he will refrain from making any comments or remarks on religion.
“The power ministry is extremely important in our economy and in our serious efforts to combat poverty.
“If any Nigerian can fix our energy problems, former Governor El-Rufai is certainly one of such people.
THEWILL recalls that during screening on Tuesday August 1, 2023, El- Rufai confidently told the senators that President Tinubu had asked him to work with him on the power problem facing the country.
He said the President had given him a target of seven years for Nigeria to stop experiencing power outages in the country.
The question then is why did the Red Chamber refuse to confirm the former Kaduna governor who is seen as a strong member of the APC and a close ally of President Tinubu in a Senate dominated by members of his political party.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed at the end of Monday’s session that the three ministerial nominees whose names were not mentioned were awaiting security clearance.
The spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, also said, “Forty-eight names were sent, comprising both males and females. 45 were confirmed; the three others are awaiting further legislative actions, which will be hinged on other arms of government, having given us all the necessary impetus to do the final screening.
“But today, out of the 48 names sent, 45 have been confirmed and approved as ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This will be communicated to the President alongside the three other names which are still awaiting further legislative actions.”
However, THEWILL gathered that El-Rufai might have been dropped because of various petitions written against him, which bothers on security and the alleged “toxic comments” he has made in the public against the “national interest.”
THEWILL recalled that a couple of petitions, including those sent by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), were presented against El-Rufai during the screening.
During the ministerial screening, Senator Karimi, moved against the former El-Rufai. He told the chamber that he had a petition written against the former governor over the issue of insecurity in Southern Kaduna.
Karimi said, “Your performance in every office you found yourself in the country has been outstanding. In the Bureau of Public Enterprises, your record is there; in the FCT, as a minister, your record is there, and as a two-time governor of Kaduna state, you did well.”
Holding up a brown envelope, Karimi further states, “But, I have a very strong petition against you that bothers on the security, unity and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation. And I think that the petition has to be considered in this screening exercise.”
Karimi then proceeded to lay the petition before Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Senate President who was presiding over the screening exercise at the time.
But Akpabio intervening, saying, “This is not the place to consider petitions. We will sit with the petitions later and refer them to relevant authorities.
THEWILL also gathered that besides the petitions there were reports against El- Rufai claiming that he could not be trusted and he only wanted to accept the ministerial position so as to be in vantage position to advance his ambition of running for presidency in 2027.
El-Rufai was viewed with deep suspicion in some quarters. He was seen as “somebody who will work against President Tinubu’s second term ambition. He is not seen as a loyal politician who should be trusted.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
