The former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has hit at the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, describing him as a latter-day convert with moral flexibility.

Following El-Rufai’s recent criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s government, Bwala asked El-Rufai if he would have criticised the government if he was part of it.

Responding, El-Rufai said he would have done the same thing, first in a private session with those concerned, and later go public if nothing is done to assuage the situation.

In a statement on Thursday, El-Rufai on his X handle stated that he only chose to respond to Bwala because he still considered him a "decent person who may need a job" and not in the same category as "Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender our voters retired in 2019."

“My Senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana,” Bwala challenged El-Rufai on his X handle after sharing a story with the headline ‘Illeterate in leadership’ – El-Rufai slams APC, says party has abandoned its ideal.

In his response, El-Rufai alleged that certain political figures, whom he described as "clowns," receive substantial stipends from government security votes to defend the Tinubu administration uncritically. 

According to him, these individuals are quick to justify every action or inaction of the government, even when it is indefensible.

Reflecting on his past service, El-Rufai noted that he was a cabinet minister 22 years ago and had made it clear to Tinubu that he had no interest in holding any position in his government.

El-Rufai lamented that the manner by which all of latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something he never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of their level of moral flexibility.

He said, "Good morning, @BwalaDaniel. I was cabinet minster 22 years ago, and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government.

"The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.

"If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it - first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.

"I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019 - these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.”

"Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in human scale of accountability, before any person or authority," he added.

Bwala, alongside Senator Dino Melaiye, was the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he dumped Atiku and joined Tinubu’s government following the victory of Tinubu in the polls.