Mr El-Rufai told President Tinubu at a meeting on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister.

The governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has denied media reports that he visited President Bola Tinubu to discuss the ministerial nominee suggested by his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai.

In a statement by the governor's chief press secretary, Mohammed Shehu, on Saturday, Mr Sani called on the media to desist from spreading false and unverified information as that could mislead readers and cause unnecessary tension in the polity.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr El-Rufai, who had been nominated to serve as a minister, told President Tinubu at a meeting on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in becoming a minister but would continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria as a private citizen.

Another insider also told PREMIUM TIMES that the former governor suggested a new ministerial nominee, Jafaru Sani, as his replacement.

Uba meets Tinubu

Mr Uba's meeting with Mr Tinubu occurred after that of Mr El-Rufai thus leading to speculations they discussed Mr El-Rufai's replacement as minister.

After meeting with Mr Tinubu, the governor told journalists that he did not discuss the issue of Mr El-Rufai's replacement with the president.

"The only thing that is true in the story is that I met with the President. Every other thing is false and a conjecture to create friction between me and Malam Nasir El-Rufai. At no time did we discuss the issue of replacement," he said.

The governor urged the media to be cautious and avoid becoming tools for mischief-makers who specialize in spreading falsehoods and divisive narratives.

"In these days of click baits and fake news, it is imperative for traditional and new media platforms to maintain their integrity by sharing balanced and verified stories that will be useful in moving the nation forward," the governor said.