A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that President Bola Tinubu rejected him as a ministerial nominee and not the National Assembly.

He made this disclosure on Monday while speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s programme, Prime Time.

Tinubu nominated El-Rufai for a ministerial appointment while forming his cabinet.

However, the National Assembly rejected the ex-Kaduna governor based on what sources linked to “security concerns.”

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory said the President changed his mind on the nomination after asking him publicly not to be far from him after leaving office.

He said, “Since I left office and the President begged me publicly to come and serve in his government, I had my plans and told President Tinubu from day one when he asked me to support him, I said would, but I don’t want anything because politics in Nigeria is always about what do I get for giving you support.

“I’m not in politics for that reason. I’m not in politics to get anything. I have a surname, and I’m a self-made man. I’ve made money before coming into public office. I don’t need anything.

After eight years in Kaduna, I was nearly burnt out. I was struggling for eight years and I wanted to take a break, and I had my private plans.

“The President publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold, and through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister and there were certain conditions I attached to that.

“I think along the line, either the President changed his mind or something else. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me.

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.

“Since I’ve moved on, I’ve not said a word, I’ve not granted an interview, I’ve not commented on the government, but it is within my right as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress to ask why the party isn’t functioning.”

On the issue of the security report, which was used by the National Assembly to reject his nomination, El-Rufai said, “

”What was the security issue? I have been the governor for 8 years in one of the most difficult states in the country.

Where is the report? What about other ministers who are far less qualified and have huge controversies around them that scale through because the president makes a call.”

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, South-West Zone, has vowed that it will shut down operations across the region if the 30 tankers arrested by the Lagos State government are not released.

The Chairman, IPMAN Western Zone, Joseph Akanni, made this known on Monday, during an interview with newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Akanni declared the association’s support for the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, as well as other stakeholders in the industry over the issue, saying “Injury to one is an injury to all.”

He disclosed that the 30 tankers bearing 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit were towed out of Dangote Refinery at about 3:00am on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

“The vehicles and the drivers were arrested by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASMA) under the Ministry of Transportation in Lagos and were put at the LASMA yard in Oshodi.

“So, IPMAN is in solidarity with the PTD, National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and NUPENG is showing solidarity with the other stakeholders to take action against Lagos State governments, especially the Ministry of Transport.

“What the Ministry of Transport has done is against the law. It is dangerous. It is dangerous to keep tankers with petrol in a place because petrol is flammable.

And the information reaching us is that they have started siphoning petrol from the tankers, which implies that we won’t have the same quantity as when it was towed.

“And that we are ready if nothing is done, we are ready to shut down our stations; our petrol stations across Southwest, in solidarity with the tanker drivers,” Akanni said.

The South-West IPMAN chairman revealed that the product in the impounded tankers belongs to members of IPMAN, saying the association is in support of the actions of NUPENG over the incident.

Akanni added that under fire safety regulations, “even if a truck with petrol is arrested, the tanker is supposed to go and offload the petrol first, before anything.”

“So, now they took the tankers with about 45,000 litres of petrol, numbering about 30, which is very dangerous.

“We are giving stern warning that if there is any fire incident, Lagos State government is going to be responsible for the loss of products and the deaths,” Akanni said.

Case adjourned to March 6, 7 for continuation of trial

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, adjourned the money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to March 6 and 7, 2025, for continuation of trial.

The court adjourned after the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, called his two witnesses, one on subpoena.

When Pinheiro, SAN, called the first witness, Segun Joseph Adeleke, the Defendant’s Counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, objected, saying that the witness’ name was not included in the initial list of witnesses provided by the prosecution.

This, he said, could affect his cross-examination.

The trial, however, proceeded and the witness, who identified himself as the General Manager of Efab Properties Limited, was asked to tell the court what he knows about a property on 1, Ikogosi Road, Maitama and another one in Gwarinpa.

Adeleke told the court that the name of the former governor did not reflect on any of the two properties being examined on Monday and that he did not sight him throughout the transactions.

Giving an account of what transpired, he said sometime in 2020, his chairman, Chief Fabian Nwora, introduced him to a young man called Shehu Bello and that they had a discussion concerning the purchase of the property.

“We had a discussion concerning the purchase of the property in question. And he told me that the young man would be coming back to make payment for the property at an agreed price of N550 million,” he said.

When asked if he had seen Shehu Bello since that day, he said, “I saw him three times. The first time was for introduction, the second time for payment and the third time was when he brought a legal document for the execution of the EFAB property.”

The EFCC lawyer then mentioned another property at 5th Avenue in Gwarinpa and told the witness to tell the court what he knows about it.

Responding, the witness said the property was purchased by one Nuhu Mohammed for N70 million and was paid for through a bank transfer.

He was asked if he remembered which bank the money came from, but he said no.

On cross-examination, the defendant’s counsel, Daudu, SAN, asked if the witness’ actions were purely based on the instructions of his chairman. He responded, “Yes.”

The counsel further asked whether it was correct to say that he did not initiate any discussion with Shehu Bello on his own, to which he also answered, “Yes.”

On the documents signed for the transactions, the Defendant’s Counsel asked the witness if he could confirm that Shehu Bello signed his own part in his presence.

“He did not my Lord,” he answered.

Daudu, SAN, also asked: “Throughout this transaction, did you set eye on the defendant?”

“Not at anytime in the course of this transaction,” the witness responded.

He was also asked if the name of the defendant appeared anywhere on the documents he said were with the EFCC.

He, again, answered, “no!”
The Prosecution then told the court that they had another witness to call, on subpoena.

The Defendant’s Counsel objected that they were being taken by surprise but added that he had no intention of stalling the trial.

The second witness identified herself as Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA).

She had the subpoena with her, which the lawyer sought to tender as evidence.

The Defendant’s counsel had no objection and it was marked “Exhibit 1”.

The witness read out the documents the subpoena asked for to include the statement of account of Kogi State Government House, from January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2024.

The statements of account of Maselina Njoku, from January 1 to December 31, 2022, were also admitted in evidence, including the account opening packages of American International School and statements of accounts, from September 1 to September 30, 2020.

Justice Emeka Nwite then adjourned to March 6 and 7, 2025 for continuation of trial.