Newscenter Media News The political drama between former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and President Bola Tinubu’s administration took a new turn on Tuesday as Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, urged El-Rufai to let go of his disappointment and “stop acting like a child.”
Onanuga made the striking remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, addressing El-Rufai’s recent public comments about his failed ministerial nomination. The presidential aide’s tone was direct and unsparing.
“As a person, I pity the former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister,” Onanuga said. “It has been a long time since the cabinet was formed in August 2023. I think it’s time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread.”
El-Rufai had been one of President Tinubu’s initial ministerial nominees but was dropped after the Senate declined to confirm his appointment, citing security concerns — an issue that has since sparked widespread speculation.
But in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, El-Rufai claimed it wasn’t the Senate that blocked his appointment — but that it was the President himself.
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“Since I left office, the President publicly begged me to come and serve in his government. I had my own plans, and I made it clear from day one that I didn’t want anything,” El-Rufai said. “After two months of negotiations, we agreed on my nomination under certain conditions. But somewhere along the line, the President changed his mind. The National Assembly had nothing to do with it. The President simply didn’t want me in his cabinet — and that’s fine. I’ve moved on.”
Despite his insistence that he’s put the episode behind him, El-Rufai’s recent criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) suggests the wounds may not have fully healed. The former governor questioned why the party wasn’t functioning as it should, hinting at dissatisfaction with its current trajectory.
Onanuga’s remarks appear to reflect frustration within Tinubu’s camp over El-Rufai’s continued commentary, months after the cabinet was finalized.
While acknowledging that it was not out of place for El-Rufai to feel aggrieved having worked hard for the election of Tinubu, Onanuga said that the President is not in denial of his efforts.
“It is natural for him to feel bad that he has been excluded. I think the president has acknowledged in a recent tribute to him that Nasir did a lot in installing President Tinubu, and if he is not there it doesn’t mean he will bring down the roof.”
Onanuga urged El-Rufai to let go because he has been in public service since 1999, saying that “it’s time for him to move on.
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