Bello El-Rufai, son of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru El-Rufai, has disclosed that his father and President Bola Tinubu were never best of friends.
Bello, a lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made this known in a tell-all interview on the ‘Mic on Podcast’ hosted by media personality Seun Okinbaloye.
El-Rufai played a key role in the emergence of Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in 2022, as he, alongside other northern governors in the party, insisted that power must return to the south.
The former Governor also campaigned vigorously for the President ahead of the 2023 election, squaring up to then-President Muhammadu Buhari in the process.
However, El-Rufai was denied the opportunity to serve in Tinubu’s cabinet after the Senate refused to confirm his nomination, as well as those of two other nominees.
According to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the three nominees were rejected based on security reports against them.
In his reaction, Bello said Nigeria lost an effective administrator in his father, adding that he was disappointed when he learnt his nomination was rejected.
“I was in the National Assembly when my father’s nomination was rejected. It was very disappointing and still is. Myself, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, and one of my father’s commissioners, Mr Hafiz Bayero, played a key role in convincing my father to work with this current government.
“He (Nasir) didn’t want it. It’s hard for Nigerians to believe it because they feel it is everyone in Nigeria who wants to be a minister.
“To be fair to him, he didn’t want the job. We convinced him that, with the antecedents of Asiwaju, he would create an excellent team as he did in Lagos,” the lawmaker said.
Asked if there are people in the current government who are opposed to his father becoming a minister, Bello said, “You and I know, even before this, that Asiwaju and Malam were never best of pals. Not that they were fighting because Asiwaju is way his senior politically.”
