Tinubu Not Responsible For Cancelling Your Trip, Omokri Tells El-Rufai

A former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri, denied claims by former Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai that President Bola Tinubu was responsible for his inability to travel to the United States.

He said this in a statement posted on his social media handles on Friday.

According to Omokri, El-Rufai couldn’t travel because of possible travel restrictions over comments made during the 2019 election among others.

He wrote, “Contrary to his claims that he was suspending his plans for further studies abroad because President Tinubu wants to arrest him and he is not a coward, Nasir el-Rufai is fearful of arrest and prosecution by the Trump administration, which is the real reason he wants to sit tight in Nigeria.

“Things, however, took a turn for the worse on Thursday, February 7, 2019, after Malam Nasir el-Rufai threatened European Union observers with death if they intervened in Nigeria’s impending Presidential elections, which were to take place on Saturday, February 16, 2019.

“On that day, Mr. el-Rufai said, “We are waiting for the person who will come and intervene. They will go back in body bags because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run our country.

“The above statement ignited a fear of travelling to the United States in Mr. el-Rufai, especially after President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would go after leaders who targeted Christians.

“True to his promise, President Trump set up a task force for that purpose last Thursday, February 6, 2025. Exactly five days after President Trump set up that task force, Malam Nasir el-Rufai manufactured the excuse that President Bola Tinubu wanted to arrest him, so he cancelled all his plans to study abroad.

“Throughout Trump’s first term from 2016-2020, Nasir el-Rufai refused to set foot in America. Now Trump has returned, and el-Rufai is jittery.”

Omokri also clarified that Tinubu was not responsible for el-Rufai’s ministerial nomination rejection by senate.

He said, “Nasir’s supporters should note that Malam el-Rufai was rejected by the Senate, not Tinubu. President Tinubu kept to his word. And this is not the first time. He was also rejected when President Obasanjo sent his name to the Senate in 2003. Nigerians can research the story of how he was eventually cleared then.

“There was a cause. And shortly after the cause, Malam Nasir el-Rufai reacted. This is a simple case of cause and effect.”