Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, has reportedly informed president Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he is not longer interested in becoming a minister in his cabinet.
Sources at the presidency according to Premium Times disclosed that El-rufai told president Tinubu during a meeting on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister but will continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria as a private citizen.
“He also told the president that he needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands,” a source said.
Another source said that El-rufai recommended a new ministerial nominee — Jafaru Ibrahim Sani — for Kaduna State, adding that the President would find him very useful and resourceful.
Mr Sani served as commissioner in three ministries in Kaduna State (Local Government Education and Environment) while Mr El-Rufai was governor.
Mr El-Rufai visited the President at the presidential villa a day after the Senate confirmed 45 ministerial nominees after a week-long screening of 48 of them.
The Senate, however, stepped down his confirmation and those of two others, citing security reports from the State Security Service for the action.
The two others were a former senator from Taraba, Sani Danladi, and a nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.
Sources said on becoming aware of the Senate decision on his case, El-Rufai, who only returned to Nigeria from London on Monday, sought and got an appointment to meet the president.
At the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, President Tinubu, according to sources, told the former governor he received some petitions critical of his ministerial nomination.
The president then asked for 24 hours grace to review the petitions and the DSS report to the Senate to enable him to reach a decision.
It was at that point that Mr El-Rufai responded that he was no longer interested in being minister since it appeared some forces around the president were scheming frantically to block his emergence as federal minister.