Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, expressed his disappointment at being left out of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, according to the presidency on Tuesday.
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, stated that El-Rufai should stop acting like a whiner and move on.
He was responding to El-Rufai’s claim that Tinubu turned him down—not the National Assembly—despite his entreaties to join his government as a minister.
The accusation was made by the former governor during a Monday night appearance on Arise Television.
Onanuga, however, asserted that El-Rufai’s response is normal following his rejection as a minister.
During an interview with Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, Onanuga stated: “As a person, I think I will pity the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister. I think it is time for him to move on. He can’t continue to behave like a child, as if somebody stole his bread and he is crying.
“It’s natural for him to feel hurt about being excluded, and the president acknowledged in his birthday message that Nasir helped a lot in installing Tinubu. If he’s not there, it doesn’t mean he should bring down the roof.
“The president has no animosity against Nasir. He naturally feels hurt that he has been excluded, so he goes about campaigning against the president and would not let go.
“He should forget about not being made a minister. He has been in public service since 1999; it’s time for him to move on.”
