Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has said President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet lacks the technocrats and inclusiveness model he (Tinubu) adopted in Lagos as the governor between 1999 and 2007.
El-Rufai said it was that Lagos legacy that made him support Tinubu earlier.
Also, he noted that opposition leaders doubt if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under Professor Mahmood Yakubu, would register their new political party.
El-Rufai said these on Arise TV’s ‘Prime Time’ on Monday.
‘Tinubu’s cabinet lacks quality’
El-Rufai said: “Look at his cabinet — it’s a joke. It is the largest in Nigeria’s history, and maybe only five of them can be called real ministers.
“In my time as a minister 20 years ago, we had individuals of the calibre of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Oby Ezekwesili.
“Who do you see in this cabinet that fits that profile? There is simply no quality. We brought a tragedy upon Nigeria.
“I supported him because I believed in his Lagos legacy. He was inclusive. He brought in professionals like Yemi Osinbajo and Wale Edun from the private sector.
“He appointed Igbos and Hausas in key roles, and he got things done. But now… this?
“I feel like I owe Nigeria a duty to correct this mistake. I am 65 now, approaching retirement, but I cannot rest knowing that I helped bring in a government that is hurting Nigerians.
“I will do all I can, with others, to reverse this trajectory. If we leave this unchecked, Nigeria will be destroyed.”
‘INEC might not reguster new party’
Speaking on INEC under Professor Yakubu, El-Rufai compared him with his predecessor, Attahiru Jega, under whom the All Progressives Congress, APC, was registered.
“Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party would be registered because Mahmood Yakubu is not Jega, and President Tinubu is not Jonathan.
“Those were the people in charge when APC was registered,” he said.
Ironically, he picked the Social Democratic Party, SDP, as the ideal platform for coalition.
According to El-Rufai, “I strongly believe that SDP is the best platform for the coalition because it has a history, a legacy, sentimental value and everything about it is almost perfect.
“I am advocating for that amongst my colleagues.”
Recall that El-Rufai; former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and others formed a coalition that is trying to register a political party – All Democratic Alliance, ADA.
VANGUARD.
