Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has refuted claims that the National Assembly rejected his ministerial nomination, clarifying that it was President Bola Tinubu who withdrew it.

Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, El-Rufai explained that although the Senate withheld his confirmation in August 2023 due to security reports from the State Security Service (SSS), the final decision was made by the President.

“After serving for eight years as governor of Kaduna State, I had my plans. The President publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold. Through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed on my nomination as minister under certain conditions I set. But somewhere along the line, the President either changed his mind or something else happened,” he stated.

Dismissing reports that the Senate rejected him, El-Rufai added, “The National Assembly had nothing to do with this. The President didn’t want me in his cabinet, he changed his mind. Whatever it is, I don’t care, and I’ve moved on.”

While maintaining his silence on government affairs since the incident, El-Rufai asserted that, as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he reserves the right to question the party’s direction.