APC chieftain urges Tinubu to nominate El-Rufai’s ministerial replacement from Kaduna-South, Central

Following the withdrawal of interest by former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai from the ministerial appointment bid, a former Chairman of the All Progressive Congress Caucus in Kaduna State, Alhaji Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replace the former governor, with a ministerial nominee from Kaduna Central or Kaduna South for inclusiveness.

Ramalan made the appeal Sunday in an open letter addressed to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tijjani who is the Chairman of Liberty Radio and Television said there are other persons and politicians in Zone 2 and Zone 3 where the president could nominate from adding that both El-Rufai and Governor Uba Sani are from Zone 1.

While lamenting the over-concentration of the APC on one zone in the state, the former chairman expressed worry over the unity of the party which he said is being threatened by unfair representation of the three zones on national and state engagements.

He wondered if the neglected zones would want to remain in the party or give their support to the favoured leaders while calling on the president to take the ministerial position to Zone 2 or Zone 3 where persons and politicians of high caliber are also well placed to take such a position.

His letter read;

“Before 2015 when the APC took Kaduna State by storm from the PDP which had held sway for 16 years, there had been equity in sharing the spoils accruing according to understanding by Politicians and other stakeholders in the state.

“Based on the gentleman agreement, when the office of the Governor goes to one 1, naturally the deputy governorship position should go to the 2nd or 3rd Senatorial zones.

“For a delicate balance, the Ministerial position usually went to the remaining Senatorial zone to achieve inclusiveness and complete representation in the state. That means all the 3 Senatorial zones were fully represented at both the state and the Federation.

“The records have it that both El-Rufai and HE Uba Sani are from Zone 1 but have conveniently registered in Zone 2 for obvious political expedience only,” Ramalan disclosed.

He said: “After failing to make the Ministerial list, it is said that he or the governor has forwarded the name of a certain Jaafaru Sani from Kubau LGA which is still in zone 1 as a possible replacement. This is the same zone that birthed the present Governor and the said kith and kins of Elrufai.

“Given that the politics of the APC in Kaduna State is not only about El-Rufai or anyone else but the entire members o the party and the People in the State.

“The political isolation of Zone 3 has not in any way helped the fortunes of the APC and Peaceful Co-Existence in Kaduna, decried that the people of Kaduna State had a raw deal from the anti-people and impoverishment policies of the El Rufai style of Totalitarian and Destructive leadership.

“We earnestly are by this letter appealing to Your Excellency, the APC National Chairman to act swiftly to ensure that the concerns of the APC followership act promptly to allay the fears of the people of Kaduna State and the Unity of APC in Kaduna State.”

Recall that former Governor El-Rufai in the previous week, reportedly withdrew his interest to serve as a minister under President Bola Tinubu after the Senate, under Senator Godswill Akpabio as President, confirmed 45 out of 48 nominees submitted by Tinubu.

According to the Red Chamber legislative arm, El-rufai and two others, Okotete, and Danladi failed to be confirmed for ministerial appointments due to security checks.

But El-rufai, who is said to have declined the offer because he “needed time to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands,” did not just withraw his ministerial bid, he also recommended Jafaru Ibrahim Sani who served as commissioner in three ministries – Local Government, Education and Environment in Kaduna State – as his replacement.