Presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga has expressed sympathy for former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, saying he is struggling to accept his exclusion from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Onanuga reacted to El-Rufai’s claims that Tinubu personally blocked his ministerial appointment after initially inviting him to join the government.
“I pity him,” Onanuga said. “He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but it’s time for him to move on. You can’t act like a child crying over spilt milk.”
El-Rufai, who has been openly critical of Tinubu’s administration, had earlier told Arise TV that it was the president, not the National Assembly, who stopped his nomination.
Onanuga, however, dismissed El-Rufai’s attacks on the government, insisting that Tinubu has no personal issues with him.
“The truth is, he is frustrated because he’s not in the government, but that doesn’t mean he should bring down the roof,” he said.
El-Rufai was a key ally in Tinubu’s presidential campaign, but his exclusion from the cabinet has fueled speculation about internal rifts within the ruling party.
