Ministerial Screening: Islamic scholars reject El-Rufai’s nomination, gives reason

A coalition of Quranic Reciters, memorizers and learners has rejected former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai as a minister, urging the Nigerian Senate and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to yank off his name from the list.

The former governor’s name is among the 28 nominees Tinubu submitted to the senate for screening and confirmation, slated for Monday, July 31st.

But at a press conference in Bauchi on Sunday, July 28, the director of education for the Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation, Sheikh Sidi Ali, appealed to Tinubu to take off El-Rufai’s name on the list.

According to the cleric, appointing El-Rufai as a minister is repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience, Daily Trust reported. He insisted that El-Rufai’s name should be removed in the interest of justice, peace, harmony and development of the country.

“We have made so many pleas to President Tinubu to be wary of El-Rufai and his likes who do not want to support learning and memorization of the Quran. We are surprised to see the name of El-Rufai among his ministerial list. If the President wants to succeed he should quickly withdraw his name and replace him with a better, qualified and detribalized Nigerian who will not discriminate against Almajiri System of education.”

Why Wike, El-Rufai should not be ministers, prominent human rights lawyer reveals

The National Legal Adviser of the African Action Congress (AAC), Inibehe Effiong, said he does not believe former Rivers and Kaduna state governors, Nyesom Wike and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, should be ministers.

Effiong said a large number of the 28 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu were career politicians and he find the list uninspiring.