The Presidency has responded to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent comments.
The Presidency claimed that El-Rufai feels hurt over his exclusion from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, addressed El-Rufai’s remarks, urging the former governor to move past the issue and stop acting like a “child crying over spilled milk.”
El-Rufai had claimed in an interview on Arise Television that President Tinubu personally rejected him for a ministerial position, despite his efforts to secure the role.
According to El-Rufai, it wasn’t the National Assembly that blocked his appointment, but rather Tinubu himself.
Onanuga, in his response, acknowledged that El-Rufai’s reaction was natural for someone who had hoped for a ministerial appointment but emphasised that it was time for the former governor to accept the decision and focus on moving forward.
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In an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Onanuga said: “As a person, I think I will pity the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister. I think it is time for him to move on.
“He can’t continue to behave like a child, as if somebody stole his bread and he is crying.
“It’s natural for him to feel hurt about being excluded, and the president acknowledged in his birthday message that Nasir helped a lot in installing Tinubu. If he’s not there, it doesn’t mean he should bring down the roof.
“The president has no animosity against Nasir. He naturally feels hurt that he has been excluded, so he goes about campaigning against the president and would not let go.
“He should forget about not being made a minister. He has been in public service since 1999; it’s time for him to move on.”
