I didn’t contest, Tinubu begged me to become minister — El-Rufai

Former Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has once again opened up on the ministerial snub following emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, stating that he never contest to be in the President’s cabinet.

According to El-Rufai, the President personally begged him to serve as a minister in his administration to help address Nigeria’s electricity crisis.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, el-Rufai dismissed claims that he left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after being denied a ministerial position.

“Yes, that’s what they say, but did I contest for minister?” el-Rufai said.

He further stated that Tinubu made multiple efforts to convince him to join the cabinet.

“Mr. President begged me, and even the whole world knows he begged me in Kaduna, and he asked me to come and work with him. I didn’t accept it until we met and talked with him. He told me that he wants me to tackle the issue of electricity,” El-Rufai added.

The former governor said Tinubu was determined to resolve the country’s long-standing power crisis.

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“He said all past presidents have failed, and he wants to be the president that would make that electricity issue come to an end. Because of this challenge, I thought he was real.”

Responding to question on whether he regretted supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, El-Rufai, who has been a critic of the ruling party and Tinubu’s administration in the last months, said he did not but admitted he was disappointed.

Tribune Online reports that El-Rufai, who is a founding member of the APC, formally resigned from the party and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Monday.