Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has clarified that the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) is not involved in the controversy surrounding the ministerial nomination of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Governor Sule stated that the matter falls outside the scope of the forum’s responsibilities.
“El-Rufai has not left our party; he is still part of our party,” Sule remarked, reaffirming El-Rufai’s continued membership in the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite the rejection of his ministerial nomination by the National Assembly in August 2023.
Governor Sule explained that the circumstances leading to El-Rufai’s nomination and its eventual rejection by the Senate were never discussed within the PGF or the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
“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,” he explained.
He further emphasized that ministerial appointments are entirely at the discretion of President Bola Tinubu and relevant government agencies.
Sule added, “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).”
