Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola had his 63rd birthday colloquium on Saturday, and he had a rare compliment from his party man and Kaduna Gov Nasir El-Rufai who eulogized him and, in the same breath, gave him a dogtag.
The Kaduna governor, in a benign manner, revealed Aregbesola is a poodle.
“You know I’m your man any day. I’m not Asiwaju’s man and you are Asiwaju’s man,” he said during his teleconferenced speech on the occasion.
That was a joke, in a sense. But el-Rufai doesn’t come across as a clown most times.
And, truly, the celebrant proved eventually he’s exactly what the APC governor branded him.
While appreciating the panelists assembled to give their expert takes on the topic—ABC—for discussion, Aregbesola thank a couple of people, with special notes, in not so particular order.
He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for encouraging him all along. (Maybe from 2015—because Buhari’s CPC, before its merger with Aregbesola’s ACN, Tinubu’s party, were enemies.)
“The second person who has played a very huge role in making me a good public administrator is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,” he said. “He [Tinubu] takes all the glory, apart from God.”
It was a good thing Aregbesola didn’t reject el-Rufai’s tag. It’s a mark of loyalty, a mark the Kaduna governor lacks, a lack obvious to many of his benefactors, including ex-VP Atiku Abubakar and even Buhari on whose talakawa-famous integrity el-Rufai rode to become governor in 2015 when the APC toppled the ruling PDP across most of Nigeria.
“I’m not Asiwaju’s man…,” el-Rufai emphasized. “Asiwaju and I have differences but you….”
His differences with Tinubu are closely connected to 2023, political observers will readily say. The two are believed to be eyeing the presidency after Buhari, though neither has made their intention public.
But the Lagos god father and the accidental civil servant was once rosy.
Tinubu called him by fine names when the governor launched his book he entitled ‘The Accidental Civil servant” years ago.
Courtesy : National Daily
who is el-rufai wherever Tinubu stand? If not for Tinubu, can he become governor of kaduna? Well, that is why we are human being, ingrate fellow. If Tinubu says he wants everything in Nigeria today, he deserves it bcos he spends all his wealth for all these ingrates to become number-1 citizen today. If they like& if they don’t, Tinubu is still ur mentor. When I look@ some useless governors we have in this south-west, I laugh! Is it somebody in ekiti who can not win one local govt if Tinubu leaves him& fayose. Above all, we are human. Who believe, obaseki can still go and postrate to Tinubu, when he had already crucified him, that edo is not Lagos. We people in Lagos are seriously enjoying Tinubu. Go to Alausa& ask all the civil servants about Tinubu& hear what good they will say about him, then let us all come to ur state& hear about u, I believe u won’t see upto 5%
From the era of opposition pdp in 1999-2007, in Tinubu polling booth, his ward, local-govt., He clears all the election 90%.. how many of this people can boast of that? And where were they then? They were only running with winning govt. How many of the can crucified their weather for others. Aregbesola is a true son of Asiwaju, so they shut not think they can carjoe him. During obasanjo time, 1999-2007, Tinubu clears 80% of all local govt in Lagos. And as @ today, we don’t have have pdp, opposition members in Lagos. All former pdp chairmen are now in apc, so how many of these people can boast of that? We have larger opposition members, than apc members in ondo, ekiti. Is that a kudos
Thanks for the comment