Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has described ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as a "professional political kneeler who failed at being a leader and now needs a political healer."
In a post on Facebook, Omokri urged El-Rufai to use his time out of office to be a statesman, learning from former presidents, including President Bola Tinubu.
Omokri said this after El-Rufai appeared on Arise TV to continue his attack on the Tinubu administration which refused to give in word for his ministerial nomination to be approved by the Senate.
He said, "General Obasanjo retired as Head of State in 1979. After twenty years, he returned as President. General Buhari left power in 1985 and returned thirty years later. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu left the stage as Governor of Lagos in 2007. Sixteen years later, he is Nigeria's incumbent democratically elected President.
"Nasir el-Rufai should learn from these imminent persons. Use your time out of office to be a statesman rather than a bogeyman. Be a loyal buddy rather than a royal bully. Build your political network rather than destroy your societal net worth.
"Just one year out of power, and Nasir el-Rufai cannot stand the cold. He is not on good terms with his predecessor and successor as Governor of Kaduna. He is at loggerheads with his own political party. He has insulted those he once consulted and is now consulting those he once insulted. There is no shame in this. I am guilty of it. We live and learn. But is Nasir learning? For now, he can only count on the support of his son amongst Kaduna's legislators."
Omokri also recalled how El-Rufai quarrelled with Buhari just before the former President left office, adding tgat former President Obasanjo described him as a person with an "inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir El-Rufai."
He continued, "Even Oby Ezekwesili, who was his Girl Friday, was insulted by the younger El-Rufai as a beggar with receipt.
"The inevitable conclusion is that Nasir El-Rufai does not know how to manage political and personal relationships, which is why he has had no choice but to return to people he insulted in his book as 'criminals' and is now hobnobbing with a party he said he would only associate with if satan converts to Islam.
"And why would anyone bother destroying Nasir el-Rufai's reputation? You cannot destroy what does not exist. Nasir el-Rufai does not have a reputation. He only has infamy. And as former President Obasanjo said in his book, My Watch Volume 2: 'Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological.'"
According to Omokri, the truth is that El-Rufai is using his own low standards to judge others.
"Rather than make wild accusations, Nasir el-Rufai may want to use his time outside government to build a reputation worth destroying.
"Alas, he now thinks he can take power from one Southerner and give it to another. Coming from a man who only won his election as Governor of Kaduna because of General Buhari's wild popularity in the core North, and with whom he has now fallen out. We can only liken Mr. el-Rufai to his fellow co-travellers in the emergency activism industry.
"I am referring to Rotimi Amaechi, the Lizard of Ubima, who thinks he is the lion of Ubima," he concluded.
ASA