Onanuga: Why El-Rufai’s Frustration Over Missing Ministerial Role is Understandable
By Henry Oduah
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has expressed sympathy for Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, stating that El-Rufai’s frustration stems from not being appointed a minister in the current administration.
El-Rufai, who has been vocal in his criticism of the Tinubu government, revealed in a recent Arise TV interview that his nomination for a ministerial position was blocked by President Tinubu himself, not by the National Assembly, despite initial discussions about him joining the cabinet.
“The National Assembly had nothing to do with it. The president didn’t want me in his cabinet,” El-Rufai said during the interview.
In response to these comments, Onanuga appeared on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, offering a more empathetic take on the situation. “I feel for the former governor,” he remarked. “It’s understandable that he feels hurt by not being appointed a minister. However, it’s time for him to move past it. One can’t continue to dwell on things like this as if something has been unfairly taken away.”
Onanuga acknowledged El-Rufai’s contributions to the success of President Tinubu, citing his role in supporting Tinubu’s rise to the presidency. He further emphasized that the lack of a ministerial appointment doesn’t imply a personal grievance against El-Rufai from the president. “The president has no ill feelings toward him,” Onanuga concluded. “It’s simply a case of him being disappointed not to be part of the federal government.”
