Reports has it that former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai withdrew his ministerial nomination on Friday, citing security concerns and power play within the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that El-Rufai was one of 48 persons nominated by Tinubu as ministers in July. He was nominated to be the minister of power and energy.
However, the Senate withheld his confirmation on Monday, citing security concerns. The Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, said that the SSS had raised some security concerns about El-Rufai, but that he could not disclose the details of the concerns.
El-Rufai’s withdrawal came as a surprise to many. He is a known politician with records of achievement. He was previously the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 2003 to 2007.
Sources close to El-Rufai say that he was disappointed by the Senate’s decision to deny him security clearance. They say that he felt that the concerns raised by the SSS were unfounded.
They also say that El-Rufai was unhappy with the way that the president handled the situation. They say that Tinubu did not do enough to support El-Rufai and that he appeared to be indifferent to the matter.
According to sources, El-Rufai’s withdrawal was also due to power play within the administration. 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 him.
“Some very powerful Nigerians, it appears, are not comfortable with the kind of reforms El-Rufai was bringing to the power and energy sector,” Daily Trust reported a source as saying.
“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,” he said.
A source close to the former governor said El-Rufai decided to withdraw his ministerial appointment even before 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,” said a source referring to the body language of President Bola Tinubu.
“He never begged for it. In fact, 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 it is unfortunate that the president would allow himself to be part of this,” another source said.
An associate professor of Political Sociology from the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari, while commenting on the situation, said El-Rufa’i was caught in the labyrinth of intricate power play and machinations by his political adversaries and those afraid of his rising profile.
He said, “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,” said Prof Kari.
“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- Rufa’i is and the role he played in Tinubu’s emergence. Tinubu didn’t show this inexplicable inertia and indifference toward Akpabio or even Ganduje in spite of the very atrocious reputation they have had to contend with,” he said.
HYPOTHETIC NONSENSE.
The workings of IDLE minds.