Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu
Tinubu fair to have nominated El-Rufai as minister – Bagudu
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has said President Bola Tinubu should not be blamed for the National Assembly’s failure to confirm Nasir El-Rufai as a federal minister.
Mr Bagudu said President Tinubu has shown “character and promise keeping” by nominating Mr El-Rufai to be a minister in his cabinet but the National Assembly as an institution withheld his confirmation.
“Constitutional democracy is based on separation of powers,” Mr Bagudu told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview. “The Senate has been given a constitutional role in the confirmation process. If they decide to deny any one of us, they are approving their confirmation power.”
“The president is handicapped by our constitution to do everything. Is it fair? But that is how the laws have been set up,” he added.
Mr El-Rufai, as governor of Kaduna State, campaigned vigorously for the election of Mr Tinubu. He, alongside Mr Bagudu and other governors of northern states played major roles to help Mr Tinubu win the APC primary.
Before the general election, Mr Tinubu publicly invited Mr El-Rufai to work with him if he became Nigeria’s president.
Last August, President Tinubu nominated Mr El-Rufai for ministerial appointment and sent his name to the Senate for legislative screening.
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The upper legislative chamber, however, withheld his confirmation and those of two others, citing security reports from the State Security Service for the action. The two others were a former senator from Taraba, Sani Danladi, and a nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.
Consequently, the former Kaduna State governor withdrew his interest in being part of Mr Tinubu’s cabinet.
During his confirmation hearing on 1 August 2023, El-Rufai said Mr Tinubu asked him to work with him on the power problem facing the country. According to him, the president had given a target of seven years for Nigeria to stop experiencing power outages in the country.
According to Mr Bagudu, the president did everything he could to have Mr El Rufai in his cabinet.
“I wish the National Assembly had confirmed him,” Mr Bagudu said.
When asked why Mr Tinubu did not intervene or lobby the National Assembly to confirm Mr El-Rufai, Mr Bagudu said he would not want to speculate.
“What was done objectively is that the president nominated him. We know that his name was read at the Senate. He went to the National Assembly for screening. He answered all the questions that were asked of him. Although some were stepped down.
“So that’s an objective way to look at it. That is what happened. I can’t answer speculatively, but I believe for the president to submit your name, for you at least to be taken to the National assembly, it’s the best measure of the president’s willingness and confidence in the person,” he said.
In the interview, Mr Bagudu also spoke about the economy, the 2024 budget, the Lagos-Calabar coastal road and other matters.
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