Reno Omokri, a former presidential spokesperson and prominent social commentator, has shed light on why Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, was not appointed as a minister by President Bola Tinubu. According to Omokri, El-Rufai failed security checks and was not confirmed by the National Assembly.
Omokri took to Twitter to set the record straight, citing El-Rufai’s allegations against President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, NSA Ribadu, on Arise TV. El-Rufai had claimed that the President did not want him in his cabinet, saying “the President did not want me in his cabinet”.
However, Omokri countered this claim, stating that President Tinubu had, in fact, nominated El-Rufai as a minister and sent his name to the National Assembly for Senate confirmation. During the Senate confirmation process, El-Rufai allegedly failed his security screening woefully, leading to his rejection by the National Assembly.
Omokri emphasized that El-Rufai was not the only ministerial nominee who was refused clearance, citing two others, Danladi Sani and Stella Okotete, who were also rejected due to security concerns. “None of the others has blamed the duo of the President or his NSA. None. Except el-Rufai,” Omokri noted.
El-Rufai eventually withdrew his nomination and named his former commissioner for local government, Jafaru Sani, as his replacement. Omokri’s revelation sheds light on the real reason behind El-Rufai’s ministerial snub, contradicting the former governor’s claims of being deliberately excluded by President Tinubu.