JUST IN: El-rufai Pulls out of Ministerial Bid
Former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-rufai, has reportedly pulled out of the bid to become a Minister.
El-rufai was screened by the Senate but his confirmation was withheld due to security concerns allegedly raised by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Sources in the Presidency have now informed POLITICS DIGEST that El-rufai himself has met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and informed him of his decision to pull out of the ministerial position, saying he would like to focus on his doctorate degree pursuit in The Netherlands.
El-rufai is said to believe that there are some powerful people close to the President who do not want him in the cabinet.
President Tinubu had convinced El-rufai to work with him as Minister of Power and forget about any foreign study.
A lot of petitions however emerged from both Nigeria and outside the country when the former governor was nominated.
The petitioners accused El-rufai of reckless statements and actions, divisive tendencies and human right abuses.
Sources also told our correspondent that El-rufai recommended his former Commissioner in Kaduna state, Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, to the President as his replacement.
