Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has sharply criticized Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, over Omokri’s accusations of frustration regarding El-Rufai’s non-appointment as a minister under President Bola Tinubu.
El-Rufai labeled Omokri as “a political mercenary retained by any paying person or government.”
El-Rufai also revisited a past controversy where an American woman accused Omokri of identity theft, claiming he used her son’s name, Wendell Simlin, to link former Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi to Boko Haram.
Omokri had sparked the exchange with a tweet on Sunday, accusing El-Rufai of hypocrisy. He criticized the former governor for opposing the Federal Government’s rail project funding in Lagos while remaining silent on a $2 billion railway project to Niger Republic under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Omokri wrote, “If we could build a $2 billion railway for Niger Republic under Buhari, why can’t the Federal Government fund a railway in Lagos, which contributes 35% of our GDP?”
In response, El-Rufai shared photos on X (formerly Twitter) of Omokri protesting Tinubu’s election, calling him “Wendell Simlin” and mocking his reputation as a political hireling.
El-Rufai’s remarks have stirred political debate, particularly among All Progressives Congress (APC) members, some of whom view his statements as a veiled critique of Tinubu’s administration.
Former Senator Shehu Sani also weighed in, accusing El-Rufai of hypocrisy. Sani criticized him for turning a blind eye to alleged nepotism under Buhari while now opposing perceived favoritism under Tinubu.
Sani wrote, “Some who were silent during Buhari’s nepotism have now found their voices when the equation doesn’t favor them. Kaduna was an apartheid state for eight years under El-Rufai.”
The exchange has reignited discussions about political loyalty, hypocrisy, and the influence of regional politics in Nigeria.
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