Presidency Accuses El-Rufai Of Taking Cheap Shot Against Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has described the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai’s recent comment against his principal as a cheap shot.

Naijaonpoint reported that El-Rufai responded to the allegations made by a Nigerian professor of journalism based in the United States, Farooq Kperogi, regarding ethnic favouritism in the appointments made by President Tinubu.

In his recently published article titled “Tinubu’s Buharisation of the NNPC,” Kperogi accused President Tinubu of favouring individuals from the Yoruba ethnic group for significant roles within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

He referenced an unnamed source who suggested that Bayo Ojulari is being considered for the position of Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPCLfollowing the conclusion of Mele Kyari’s tenure.

Kperogi also highlighted the imbalanced appointments made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who claimed to have favoured the northern region during his administration.

Responding to El-Rufai’s comment, former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, in a post via X, berated El-Rufai over his silence while Buhari appointed his kinsmen into political offices.

He wrote. “There were people who were silent when Buhari was fielding political offices with his kinsmen and have now found their voice to speak out when the equation doesn’t favour them.

“Let’s not make reference to the nepotism that marginalised Southern Kaduna for eight years. Kaduna was an apartheid state for eight years.”

Reacting, Onanuga reposted the comment of the former lawmaker saying, “Senator Shehu Sani responds to El-Rufai’s cheap shot against President Tinubu.”