Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has clarified that the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) has no involvement in the ministerial nomination issues surrounding former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Sule, a member of the PGF, confirmed that El-Rufai remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite the National Assembly’s rejection of his nomination in August 2023.
Sule explained that the circumstances leading to El-Rufai’s nomination and rejection were beyond the scope of the PGF or the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). He stated, “What led to his (El-Rufai’s) nomination, what led to his rejection by the Senate or by the security agencies, to be honest with you, are not issues we discussed either at the Progressives Governors’ Forum or even the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. They are not issues because what doesn’t concern us, we can do nothing about it.”
The Governor also emphasized that the decisions regarding ministerial appointments are solely the President’s prerogative, with the National Assembly and other relevant agencies handling confirmations or rejections. “It is the prerogative of Mr President to nominate whoever should be his minister, and he nominated. Also, there are agencies including the National Assembly that either confirm or reject, and they rejected (him),” Sule concluded.
