Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has rejected Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s claim that he was not interested in serving in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Omokri, who served as a social media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, made this statement in a Facebook post on Thursday, following a public dispute between El-Rufai and presidential media aide, Daniel Bwala.
Addressing Bwala on X on Thursday, El-Rufai had said, “I was cabinet minister 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”
El-Rufai had responded to Bwala’s comments on social media platform X, claiming that he had made it clear to President Tinubu that he was not interested in any position in the government.
The former governor of Kaduna State also criticized what he described as the “pathetic” manner in which some supporters of the Tinubu government were making an issue out of something he allegedly never wanted in the first place.
Despite El-Rufai’s statements, reports surfaced in August 2023 that the Senate had withheld his confirmation as a minister due to security concerns raised by the Department of State Services. El-Rufai, who was in London at the time, reportedly approached President Tinubu soon after the Senate’s decision, withdrawing his interest in the ministerial position while expressing his commitment to continue contributing to Nigeria’s development as a private citizen.
In response to El-Rufai’s latest remarks, Omokri pointed out that the former governor would not have submitted himself for ministerial screening if he had truly been uninterested in the role. Omokri criticized El-Rufai’s claims, likening the situation to someone saying they are not interested in free food while still bringing a spoon with them to a meal. He further expressed his frustration, stating that El-Rufai’s actions were inconsistent with his claims.
He said, “This Nasir el-Rufai thinks we are all children. You claim not to be interested in being a minister, yet you submitted yourself for ministerial screening.
“It is like saying you are not interested in free food, yet you visited my house with a spoon in your pocket. The short man should not leave us short of words!”
