Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has opted out of further consideration to be a minister in the government of President Bola Tinubu it has emerged.
Hobnob News in a report on Friday said the immediate past governor of Kaduna State has briefed the president on the development and gone further to nominate a replacement.In stepping down, El-Rufai it was disclosed has, however, offered to contribute his quota to the administration but as an outsider.
Hobnob News reports that after facing the Senate for screening following his nomination that the legislative body withhold confirmation as a minister upon what it claimed as security report that urged it to delay the confirmation upon national security concerns.
According to Hobnob News, Presidency sources said Mr El-Rufai told President Tinubu at a meeting on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister but would continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria as a private citizen.
He also told the president that he needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands,” one of our sources said.
Hobnob News reports also quoted another insider as saying that the former governor suggested a new ministerial nominee — Jafaru Ibrahim Sani — for Kaduna State, saying the President would find him very useful and resourceful.
Mr Sani served as commissioner in three ministries in Kaduna State (Local Government Education and Environment) while Mr El-Rufai was governor.
Hobnob News in its report President Tinubu told the former governor he received some petitions critical of El-Rfuai’s ministerial nomination.
“The president then asked for 24 hours grace to review the petitions and the SSS report to the Senate to enable him to reach a decision.
“It was at that point that Mr El-Rufai responded that he was no longer interested in being minister since it appeared some forces around the president were scheming intensely to block his emergence as federal minister” in the Tinubu government.
