El-Rufai Barred From Tinubu’s Cabinet For Being ‘Too Toxic’ – Shehu Sani
Published on Tuesday, June 3, 2025
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“Nigerian Politicians Chase Power, Not Progress” – Senator Sani Fires Shot
Outspoken former senator for Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has dropped a political bombshell, revealing that ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was sidelined from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet due to his “toxic” persona and poor governance record.
In a fiery statement on Monday, Sani didn’t hold back, accusing El-Rufai of failing woefully in tackling insecurity during his eight-year reign as governor, labeling his recent political commentary as hypocritical and destructive.
“El-Rufai lacks the moral authority to criticise Tinubu’s government,” Sani said, warning that the former governor’s public outbursts are nothing more than the bitterness of a man spurned.
According to the ex-lawmaker, El-Rufai’s track record of demolitions, mass layoffs of civil servants, and disregard for the poor has left a legacy of hardship and fear in Kaduna State.
“He weaponised poverty—firing thousands, razing homes of the vulnerable, including retired workers who had nowhere else to turn,” Sani alleged.
In his harshest critique yet, Sani branded El-Rufai as a “patriarch of banditry and godfather of insecurity in Northern Nigeria,” blaming him for deepening the crisis of violence and unrest in the region.
He drew a direct line between El-Rufai and the failures of the Buhari-led administration, under which El-Rufai served as a close ally and powerful voice.
“The same administration that nurtured hunger and insecurity had El-Rufai at its core,” Sani said, pulling no punches.
The former senator, who recently crossed over from the PDP to the APC, insisted that El-Rufai’s exclusion from Tinubu’s ministerial list wasn’t accidental.
“He was simply too toxic to be trusted within Tinubu’s circle. His verbal assaults now are nothing but a tantrum over lost relevance and entitlement.”
This latest political clash highlights growing divisions within Nigeria’s ruling elite, as Tinubu’s government continues to face pressure from both inside and outside the APC.
