Group advises Tinubu against appointing El-rufai into cabinet

A civil society group, Forum for Transparency and Accountability in Governance (FTAG), has called on President Bola Tinubu not to appoint the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, into his cabinet.

The group noted that there was a pending case of an alleged N32 billion fraud against him with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The group which made the call in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said El-Rufai has to clear his name of the allegations now that he has lost his immunity as a sitting governor.

In the statement jointly signed by the Convener of the group, Dr Bala Musa Mustapha, Secretary General, Mr Nouel Malama, and its Director of Publicity, Nafisa Hamid Jika, FTAG urged Tinubu to expunge the name of the former governor from his proposed cabinet members’ list if he had been so considered if he wants his cabinet to have any form of credibility.

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“Any government that prides itself on probity and accountability should not be seen to patronize the likes of the former governor of Kaduna State. It’s in the public domain that Malam Nasir El-Rufai is facing prosecution of N32 billion in court,” the statement reads in part.

“Also, the former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is facing rejection over his dirty past involving dollar bribes and what is good for Ganduje should be good for El-Rufai.

“We hope that President Tinubu will come out clean on the El-Rufai issue, while we hope that he should not allow Nigerians to hit the streets before doing the right thing.”

The group also argued that El-Rufai escaped prosecution while in office because of the immunity, and that it was time for him to face public probity and the legal consequences of his actions.