The Presidency has criticized Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, for dwelling on his failed ministerial bid, urging him to stop “crying like a child” and move on.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, made the remarks in response to El-Rufai’s comments about his unsuccessful ministerial bid in 2023.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, the ex-governor said Nigerians should not believe the narrative that the national assembly rejected him as a ministerial nominee.
El-Rufai said Tinubu did not want him in his cabinet after publicly pleading with him beforehand to suspend his future plans and accept the ministerial appointment.
Reacting during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, Onanuga faulted el-Rufai for his “incessant complaints” about being excluded from Tinubu’s government.
The presidential spokesperson compared the former governor’s remarks to that of a child “crying over spilt milk.”
“Well, as a person, I pity the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but I think it has been a long time now,” Onanuga said.
“Ministers were appointed in August 2023, and I believe it’s time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread… crying over spilt milk, as we say.
“It is natural for him to feel hurt and bad about being excluded. However, as the president acknowledged in his recent tribute to him, Nasir actually played a significant role in helping to install President Tinubu.
“Still, if he is not part of the government, that does not mean he must bring down the roof. The president has nothing against him.
“I believe Nasir feels naturally hurt by his exclusion, which is why he is going everywhere campaigning against the president. This shows a man who resents being left out of the moving train and refuses to let go.
“As a brother and former governor, my advice to him is simple: he should forget about it if he was not made a minister.
“He has been in public service since 1999, and I think the hurt started when he was not appointed a minister. That explains why he has been making these statements.
“Even yesterday, in an interview with Arise TV, he claimed that it was the president who blocked his appointment.”
