Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that he confronted President Bola Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, for “messing up” his birthday by issuing a public message on behalf of the president.
Speaking on an Arise TV program on Monday, El-Rufai explained that Tinubu’s public birthday message stirred discomfort among his political rivals, who had expected his 65th birthday on February 16 to go unnoticed.
“I actually complained to Bayo Onanuga when I saw the message. I said, ‘Why did you mess up my birthday?’” El-Rufai said.
According to him, the public acknowledgment by the president forced his detractors to respond, despite their earlier silence.
“By issuing that message, all my enemies who were celebrating the fact that no one would recognize my birthday—compared to when I was governor—were left unhappy,” he remarked.
El-Rufai, who recently fell out with key figures within the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly some Aso Rock insiders, expressed that Tinubu’s message not only acknowledged his contributions to the party’s success but also unsettled his critics.
“It was kind of the president, but it hurt my enemies more than it made me happy,” he added.
Despite his criticisms of the current administration, Tinubu, through Onanuga, praised El-Rufai for his role in building the APC and the party’s victories in three consecutive presidential elections.
The former governor’s remarks come amid rising tensions between him and some factions within the ruling APC, with observers noting his increasing distance from the Tinubu administration.