President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is aggrieved because he was not appointed as a minister in the Tinubu administration.

Onanuga urged El-Rufai to move on, pointing out that he has served in public office since 1999. “It is time for him to move forward,” he concluded.

El-Rufai was initially nominated for a ministerial position when President Tinubu was forming his cabinet but was later screened out by the Senate. Following this development, he has been increasingly critical of the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a recent interview, El-Rufai asserted that it was President Tinubu himself, rather than the Senate, who rejected his nomination.

However, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Onanuga said that while El-Rufai played a significant role in Tinubu’s election victory, it was time for him to move past his disappointment.

“I sympathise with former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister, but I believe it is time for him to move on,” Onanuga remarked.

“You cannot continue to behave like a child who has had his toy taken away, crying over spilt milk.”

Onanuga acknowledged that it was understandable for El-Rufai to feel aggrieved, given his contributions to Tinubu’s electoral success, but stressed that the President was not unappreciative of his efforts.

“It is only natural for him to feel disappointed at being excluded. However, the President recently paid tribute to him, acknowledging his pivotal role in Tinubu’s victory. If he is not in the cabinet, that does not mean he should seek to undermine the administration,” Onanuga stated.

He further emphasised that Tinubu holds no personal grudge against El-Rufai, but the former Kaduna governor appears to be waging a campaign against the President out of resentment.