How Tinubu, El-Rufai Ministerial Deal Crumbled

More details have emerged about how President Bola Tinubu’s agreement with a former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, for the latter to become a minister in the yet-to-be-formed Federal Executive Council fell through. According to a Saturday PUNCH investigation, El-Rufai was promised to head the future Ministry of Power and Gas as a result of his repeated discussions with the President about how the country will have uninterrupted power supply in a few years.

According to Reporters, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory told Tinubu during the presidential campaign that he would prefer to travel out of the country to live a quiet life, but he changed his mind after “intensive discussions with the President after winning the election.” According to reports, El-Rufai informed the President that the electricity ministry should be expanded to include gas after telling the President that gas was a must-have product if the country was to have consistent power supply.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the secret meetings, went on to say that El-Rufai had begun convening eggheads who had been advising the President on how to fulfill his big electioneering pledge of delivering uninterrupted electricity supply. According to the reports, members of the gang of eggheads includes: Jimi Lawal, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy Matters, Olu Verheijen, Eyo Ekpo, and ToluOyekan, among others.

The El-Rufai group suspected that a mix of events had caused the President to delay his confirmation. According to an anonymous source close to the group, “certain elements in the Villa may have felt threatened by El-Rufai.” They do not want him because they are already planning for the next election, and they regard him as a potential threat to their ambitions. “Some political opponents, such as Senator Shehu Sani, as well as elements of the Christian Association of Nigeria and even some Muslim clerics, are all part of the gang.”

“Recall that during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, El-Rufai clashed with federal lawmakers, alleging that some of them were demanding bribes from him.” Obasanjo intervened, and the problem was resolved, and the Senate exonerated him. So, if President Tinubu desired El-Rufai, he would have demanded that the former governor be cleared.”

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