The former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, on Friday, criticised the ministerial nomination of Nasir El-Rufai by President Bola Tinubu.
El-Rufai, the immediate past Kaduna State Governor, is among the four former governors that made the 28-member list forwarded to the Senate by the President on Thursday.
Other governors that were included in the list are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa).
But while reacting to the development during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former lawmaker said Tinubu is inviting trouble by nominating El-Rufai as a minister in his cabinet.
“I believe that Tinubu is simply inviting trouble and danger to himself by inviting El-Rufai into his government. El-Rufai in Tinubu’s government, there are three things that will happen,” he said.
“He will plot against Shettima and he is going to plant the seed of discord between President Tinubu and Shettima. He has a track record of doing that, he did that between Atiku and Obasanjo.
“El-Rufai will not limit himself to the ministry. If you set him to Works or Aviation, he will not limit himself to his own ministry. He will meddle in every ministry in government.”
Sani recalled that when El-Rufai was appointed FCT Minister in 2003 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the former Kaduna governor was at loggerheads with the then ministers of aviation and agriculture as well as the Head of Service, Yayale Ahmed.
During the show, he accused El-Rufai of setting Obasanjo against the then leadership of the National Assembly.
“He set Obasanjo against the National Assembly. His presence in Tinubu’s government, it will repeat itself. He is going to set Tinubu against Shettima,” Sani added.
Tinubu’s first set of nominations was overshadowed by politicians including ex-governors, serving and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
25 per cent of the nominees are women while 75% are men. The women are Betta Edu, Doris Aniche Uzoka, Hannatu Musawa, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Stella Okotete, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, and Iman Suleiman Ibrahim.