Daniel Bwala, a media aide to President Bola Ahmed, has responded to the recent comments by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, saying the former governor has toiled all nights and should come back to APC.
This was posted on the personal X-handle of Bwala on Thursday.
Bwala wrote, “Still my senior brother @elrufai, I am sure you don’t need anyone to tell you about my respect and admiration for you, not just for your brilliance, but also as one of the brightest we have from the northern extraction. I am not stating it for the first time today and you know that.”
However, Bwala went on to express his concern about the motivations behind El-Rufai’s recent comments.
“My worry, however, is the motive behind your statements and actions; they are not borne out of patriotism, but need for vengeance. The opposition sees that singular element of vengeance as a veritable tool for your recruitment,” he said, highlighting what he believes to be the driving force behind the former governor’s actions.
Bwala also addressed their shared history in the political landscape, emphasising that he has long been a supporter of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “With respect, I am not a latter-day Asiwaju supporter. We both played our roles in his emergence as candidate of the party ahead of the 2023 elections. And before then, whilst you were from the CPC extraction of APC, I was from the ACN, which explains why I worked with Comrade Oshiomhole when he chaired the party amongst other things to protect the interest of Asiwaju whom at the time you people vowed to retire from politics,” Bwala noted.
He urged El-Rufai to leave behind any lingering grievances and return to the fold of the APC. “I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic activities or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever you think is your grievances like a dignified man that you are,” Bwala advised.
Bwala reiterated the strength of the APC as a party and the importance of unity within its ranks. “Our party APC as of today remains the only organized party with identifiable structures across the country. So if you are looking for any symbol of democracy, it is still in your party.”
In a post shared via his personal X handle on Thursday, El-Rufai clarified that he served as a cabinet minister 22 years ago and had made it clear to Tinubu that he had no interest in any future role in his administration.
He wrote, “Good morning, @BwalaDaniel. I was cabinet minister 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government.”
In his tweet, El-Rufai described the attention being given to his non-involvement in the government as a reflection of the “moral flexibility” of those who have “latter-day” ties to the Tinubu government.
He added, “The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”
He continued, emphasising tha he would have taken the same stance regarding the issues within the party he helped found, if he was to be a member of Tinubu’s cabinet.
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El-Rufai stated, “If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it – first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken.”
El-Rufai also criticised certain political figures he accused of being “political mercenaries” who defend the actions of the Tinubu’s government regardless of their merits.
He posted, “Go and check my public service record from 1998. I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019, these clowns are political mercenaries who receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.”
He, however, reminded Bwala of the importance of upholding allegiance to God and the country, over any personal or political allegiance.
He added, “Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in human scale of accountability, before any person or authority.”
“Please senior, come home; you have toiled all nights,” Bwala concluded, urging El-Rufai to return to the APC and work together for the greater good.
