‘I don’t know how to pretend,’ says El-Rufai

Tamarauemi Ebimini

A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has further cleared his stance on governance, saying he doesn’t belong to the class of politicians who pretend.

He compared such public officeholders to Nollywood actors.

This is coming a few days after the former governor and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress noted that if he were still in the President Bola Tinubu-led government, his stance about the administration would remain unchanged.

The APC chieftain was lauded on Friday by one X user, Ira Habib, tweeting as #irahabib.

He recalled that after reading a book authored by El-Rufai, he then realised that the ex-governor was no pretender, adding that any politician who includes El-Rufai in his cabinet truly wants Nigeria to develop.

“The day I read El-Rufai’s book titled ‘Accidental Public Servant,’ I concluded that no politician would want #elrufai in their cabinet unless they genuinely intend to develop this country. He doesn’t know how to pretend,” #irahabib tweeted.

Responding to this, the APC chieftain appreciated the tweep for his commendation.

He, however, further cemented his stance on true governance, tweeting, “Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not some of us.”

In another tweet, El-Rufai quoted a statement by a former British Prime Minister,  Tony Blair, which noted a difference between opposition and governance.

“In opposition, it matters what you say. In government, it matters what you do. And saying is a lot easier than doing,” the tweet read.

El-Rufai was in the news recently after he bemoaned the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the party.

“I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he stated.

This comment drew a reaction from the presidency, with Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications. Daniel Bwala, urging El-Rufai to disembark from his “vengeance mission.”

Bwala decried El-Rufai’s comment as unpatriotic, adding that this act makes him attractive to the opposition.

“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.

“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 tweeted via his X handle on Thursday.