I Am Not A Nollywood actor in Governance – El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that he is not one to engage in political theatrics while in office.

El-Rufai made this assertion on Saturday in response to a comment on social media platform X, where a user commended his book, The Accidental Public Servant.

The user suggested that no politician would want El-Rufai in their cabinet unless they were genuinely committed to national development.

Reacting to the commendation, the former governor expressed appreciation, reiterating his straightforward approach to governance.

“Thanks for your kind words, @irahabib. Truly, I don’t know how to pretend. Being a Nollywood actor in governance is for some others, not some of us. Have a nice day,” he posted.

In recent weeks, El-Rufai has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the current state of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he played a key role in founding. Speaking at an event in Abuja, he lamented the lack of internal party meetings and decision-making processes, suggesting that the APC had lost direction.

“I am a founding member of the APC, but frankly, I no longer recognize the party. No organ of the party has met in two years—no caucus, no National Executive Committee (NEC), nothing. I don’t even know if it is a one-man show or a zero-man show,” he stated.

El-Rufai emphasized that the party was originally formed to combat corruption, restore security, and revitalize the economy, but he expressed concerns that these objectives had been abandoned.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s stance, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy and Communications to President Bola Tinubu, questioned whether the former governor would have maintained the same position if he were part of the current administration.

Responding to Bwala, El-Rufai reaffirmed that he had no interest in any role within Tinubu’s government.

“I was a cabinet minister 22 years ago and made it clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his administration. The manner in which you and others try to make an issue out of something I never desired in the first place only reflects your level of moral flexibility,” he stated.

El-Rufai maintained that had he been part of the government, he would have voiced his concerns privately before taking them public if no corrective measures were taken. He urged critics to examine his track record in public service since 1998.