“Enjoy Your Special Adviser Position, My Brother” – El-Rufai to Bwala

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has responded to Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, asserting that he would continue to criticise the All Progressives Congress (APC) regardless of his political position.

El-Rufai recently expressed disappointment with the ruling party, accusing it of abandoning its core values. Speaking at a national conference on democracy in Abuja on January 28, he stated that he no longer recognised the APC, citing a lack of party meetings or decision-making structures in the last two years.

“I am the founding member of the APC. But frankly, I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years — no caucus, no NEC, nothing. I don’t even know if it is a one-man show. It is a zero-man show,” he said.

In reaction, Bwala questioned whether el-Rufai’s stance would have been different had he secured a ministerial position in Tinubu’s cabinet. The former Kaduna governor’s ministerial confirmation was withheld by the Senate on August 7, 2023, due to security concerns.

Responding in a post on X on January 30, el-Rufai dismissed Bwala’s insinuations, calling them a reflection of “moral flexibility” among those defending the administration.

“The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility,” he wrote.

He maintained that his views on the APC and its leadership would have remained the same even if he were part of Tinubu’s government. According to him, he would have first raised concerns privately and then gone public if no corrective actions were taken.

El-Rufai also reiterated that he had informed Tinubu of his disinterest in any political appointment. “I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government,” he said.

He further advised Bwala to focus on his role, saying, “Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in human scale of accountability, before any person or authority.”

When a follower urged him not to leave the APC, el-Rufai questioned whether the party had, in fact, left him behind. He argued that the APC had drifted from the ideals of its founding members and that Nigeria was facing a critical political crisis.