Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has rubbished frequent claims that he is nursing a presidential ambition, saying he is too old to be Nigeria’s president at 62.
The governor recently granted an interview to BBC Pidgin, saying that many people had often accused him of several things, including a purported presidential ambition.
He said at 62, he already had grey hair because of the pressure of governing Kaduna State.
“look at me, look at my grey hair. If you see my picture when I was sworn in, my hair was very black but look at how it has become. This is a very difficult job and that is just state governor, one state out of 36, a big one, yes; a difficult one, yes, but it is not the same as Nigeria. President of Nigeria is a very serious job, it is too much for a 62-year-old,” he stated.
He added that he is not interested in becoming even the Vice President, as he had not thought about it at all, insisting that the president in 2023 should go to the south.
El-Rufai said he had been suffering this presidential ambition suspicion since 2006, saying he had suffered it for 15 years as at today, adding that he is sick and tired of it.
According to him, there are people out there to paint him in a particular picture so that, he would be out of the presidential race, but that they did not know that he is not in any race anywhere.
“They have called me all sort of names; they said I am Jihadist and all that, Jihadist when? Where? I am not even an active member of any Islanic organization. I am Muslim yes, a devote one but, I believe religion is private. Even here in this office, when it is time for prayer, I just excuse myself as if I am going to the restroom, I don’t ask anyone to come and pray with me, because we will all go to our graves separately.
“Look around me and see, I not surrounded by only Muslims, this government is the only state government in this country that has at least people from 13 other states of the Federation as cabinet members,” he stated.
El-Rufai added that one of the most influential persons in his life and one of his closest political associates is Pastor Tunde Bakare.
He disclosed that it was Bakare who actually introduced him to Buhari and CPC.
