Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has once again made it clear that he does not belong to the category of politicians who pretend. He drew a comparison between such public officeholders and Nollywood actors.
This statement comes just days after El-Rufai, a prominent figure in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserted that if he were still part of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, his views about the government would remain unchanged.
On Friday, El-Rufai was praised by Twitter user Ira Habib, who tweeted under the handle #irahabib. Habib reflected on reading El-Rufai’s book, Accidental Public Servant, and noted that the ex-governor’s straightforwardness made him an ideal candidate for any cabinet looking to genuinely develop Nigeria.
“After reading El-Rufai’s book, I concluded that no politician would want him in their cabinet unless they genuinely wanted to develop the country. He doesn’t know how to pretend,” #irahabib wrote.
In response, El-Rufai thanked the user for the kind words, but further emphasized his commitment to genuine governance. “Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not for us,” he tweeted.
El-Rufai also shared a quote from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which reflected on the difference between being in opposition and being in government: “In opposition, it matters what you say. In government, it matters what you do. And saying is a lot easier than doing.”
Recently, El-Rufai made headlines again when he criticized the lack of internal democracy and effective party structures within the APC. “I no longer recognize the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it’s a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he said.
This comment prompted a response from the presidency. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communications to President Tinubu, called on El-Rufai to end his “vengeance mission,” claiming that his criticisms were not driven by patriotism but by personal grievances. Bwala also warned that such actions made El-Rufai attractive to opposition parties.
“They are not borne out of patriotism but a need for vengeance. The opposition sees that singular element of vengeance as a tool for recruitment. I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic activities or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever you think are your grievances like the dignified man that you are,” Bwala wrote in a tweet on Thursday.
