Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has sharply criticized Daniel Bwala, a media aide to President Bola Tinubu, after Bwala’s remarks accused El-Rufai of attempting to destabilize the government he helped to bring into power. In a Thursday post on X, El-Rufai responded directly to Bwala’s comments, which questioned the former governor’s criticisms of the current administration.
Bwala, in his post, had challenged El-Rufai’s decision to speak out against the Tinubu government despite being a prominent figure in its formation. He asked, “If you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat.”
In his rebuttal, El-Rufai clarified that he had never sought a position in President Tinubu’s cabinet. He explained that he had explicitly told Tinubu that he was not interested in joining the administration, even as a member of the government. “I was cabinet minister 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government,” El-Rufai said, adding that he had made this known in private long before Tinubu’s election victory.
El-Rufai further dismissed Bwala’s suggestion that he was trying to undermine the government he had helped build. He noted that, in his political career, he had never shied away from speaking out when necessary, regardless of the political affiliations involved. “If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it,” he stated, referring to his long-standing relationship with the APC and his role in its formation.
The former governor emphasized that, even if he had been part of the administration, he would have privately addressed any serious concerns with the relevant parties before taking his grievances to the public. His past record, he said, was clear: “Go and check my public service record from 1998.” This was a reference to his years in public service, where he was known for making bold statements when needed to address challenges facing the government or his party.
El-Rufai also rejected the idea of joining what he referred to as the ranks of “political mercenaries”—individuals who, in his view, defend the administration no matter how questionable its actions are. He sharply criticized such figures for taking large stipends from the security vote to publicly defend the government’s decisions, even when they were indefensible. “I will not join the political mercenaries who receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do,” he stated.
The exchange between El-Rufai and Bwala has underscored growing tensions within the APC, with influential figures like El-Rufai standing firm in their right to criticize policies they deem harmful, even if it causes friction within the party. This incident also highlights the political polarization within the ruling party, as different factions voice competing views on the direction of the government.
As the debate continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether this public spat will have any significant impact on the APC’s unity moving forward. What is clear, however, is that figures like El-Rufai are not afraid to voice their concerns, regardless of the potential fallout, and this may signal a future where internal criticism within the party becomes more frequent and harder to silence.Join us on WhatsApp or Telegram for real-time news alerts. Got a report or article? Send it to report@trendingnaijanews.com.
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