El-Rufai can’t win senatorial seat in Kaduna today, he can’t unsettle Tinubu – Bwala

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna State Governor, doesn’t have the political influence to unsettle President Bola Tinubu. Bwala and El-Rufai have been having a go at each other over the latter’s criticisms of the incumbent administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had alleged that the APC was “straying away from its core values,” stating that he no longer recognises his political party. Meanwhile, Bwala challenged him about whether his take on APC would have been different if he had been a member of the current federal cabinet. In response, El-Rufai said he would not hesitate to criticise the party even if he were appointed to the Tinubu administration. ALSO READ: ‘Bitter and frustrated’: Omokri blasts El-Rufai for attacking Ribadu Bwala hits El-Rufai again During an interview with TVC News on Thursday, February 6, 2024, the presidential aide said Tinubu is not losing sleep over the former Kaduna Governor’s relentless criticism. The lawyer’s comments were in response to whether the presidency is jittery about El-Rufai’s comments and the regrouping of opposition politicians. The spokesman affirmed that the President is unbothered by the opposition’s activities and added that his principal’s disposition has always been conciliatory. “Who is jittery? The political opponents have no direction. There is no organised political party in Nigeria other than APC. Almost all opposition parties are trying to find their way. “I don’t attack because I see that the position of Mr President is that of reconciliation. In his 18 months in office, he has never reacted to anybody. He has never been seen being combative or aggressive against anybody,” Bwala said. The lawyer claimed that he understands the former FCT minister’s dilemma, saying that El-Rufai can’t achieve his mission by joining the opposition alliance. According to the presidential aide, El-Rufai only transforms into a political heavyweight when he aligns with a “solid revolutionary” leader. ALSO READ: Tinubu is being blackmailed over tax bills – Bwala reacts to Mohammed’s outburst “El-Rufai, as he said, is still in APC. You treat him like a brother. I know his grandstanding. I know he is having some trouble finding a path. “If you leave a governing party, which you have influence, and think that you can undertake a mission, you have to have a place that is working to do that. “He does not have the capacity to make the president unsettled. No opposition party, even if combined, can make the president unsettled. “Let me tell you something about my elder brother, el-Rufai, and whether we should be worried. “There is a dynamic around el-Rufai. El-Rufai needed a solid, revolutionary person to thrive. On his own, el-Rufai may not win the senate. “He won governorship because of the Buhari factor and got re-elected because of the Buhari factor. If you leave him now to go and run for senate in Kaduna, he would not win,” he said.