El-Rufai rules out retiring to the senate saying he lacks the patience for the legislature

GOVERNOR Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has ruled out him running for senate at the end of his tenure next year saying he does not have the patience and diligence needed to implement legislative functions.

Speaking earlier today at the second edition of the Distinguished Parliamentarian Lecture organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Governor El-Rufai said he is not cut out for it. He added that managing colleagues in the same political arena is a Herculean task unlike the executive arm when he is superior and can hire and fire at will.

“The legislature is one branch of government I know I can never function in as the hard work needed to convince people to support even your motion is something some of us have no patience for. You know management in the executive is very straightforward, as it is very hierarchical and once you are a governor, your word is almost law but in the legislature, everybody is equal and there is no management that is more difficult than managing your equals.”

“I don’t envy Mr Speaker and the senate president at all because their job perhaps is the hardest job in this country, as managing equals is difficult. For the executive, you can hire and fire.  I know that many of our colleague governors are retiring to the senate but I can assure you that I will never retire to the legislature because I don’t think I can function there,” Governor El-Rufai said.

In his speech, he also commended the leadership of the ninth National Assembly under senate president Senator Ahmad Lawan and speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, for passing what he described as groundbreaking laws which have had positive impacts on the nation. Governor El-Rufai's tenure end in may next year.