- Says ex-Kaduna Governor still APC member
By Abiola Olawale
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has offered insight into the reason the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) was unable to do anything about the ministerial nomination ordeal of the immediate-past Governor Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Sule elaborated that the intricacies leading to El-Rufai’s nomination and subsequent rejection by the Senate were matters that were not brought to the table during discussions within the PGF.
The governor said although the rejection has raised questions and speculations, such matters fall under the exclusive prerogative of the President, who has the authority to nominate individuals for ministerial roles, and the Senate, which has the power to confirm or reject these nominations.
Emphasizing El-Rufai’s continued allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sule noted that despite the former governor’s setback following his ministerial nomination rejection, he remains a loyal member of the party.
Sule, who is a member of the PGF, the governors’ forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made this known during an interview with Channels TV.
He said: “El-Rufai has not left our party; he is still part of our party.
“What led to his (El-Rufai’s) nomination, what led to his rejection by the Senate or by the security agencies, to be honest with you, are not issues we discussed either at the Progressives Governors’ Forum or even the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. They are not issues because what doesn’t concern us, we can do nothing about it.
“It is the prerogative of Mr President to nominate whoever should be his minister and he nominated. Also, there are agencies, including the National Assembly, that either confirm or reject, and they rejected (him),” said the Nasarawa governor.
The New Diplomat reports that El-Rufai, after leaving office in 2023, has been battling with political turbulence.
In August 2023, El-Rufai was nominated for a ministerial position by President Bola Tinubu. However, his confirmation was rejected by the Senate, which cited security reasons among other concerns.
Also, in Kaduna, El-Rufai has been accused of corruption, particularly relating to the misappropriation of funds during his eight-year tenure as governor.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly claimed his administration allegedly mismanaged about ₦432 billion, leaving the state with significant debt liabilities. An ad hoc committee investigation suggested that many loans were not used for their intended purposes, and due process was not followed in some cases.
