BASHIR el-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, unleashed a barrage of slurs at his brother, Bello, on Saturday morning, accusing him of abandoning the family for political interests.
News Point Nigeria reports that Bashir, in a series of expletive-laden posts on X, attacked Bello over his recent political moves, accusing him of abandoning the family while he remained aligned with Uba Sani, his father’s successor.
Sani, the incumbent governor of Kaduna State, was a former ally of el-Rufai, but both men fell out after Sani won the 2023 governorship election.
Following el-Rufai’s resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March 2025, Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, remained in the ruling party.
However, on May 7, 2026, Bello eventually defected from the APC to join his father in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Commenting on Saturday, Bashir alleged that his brother remained loyal to Sani until he realised he was being “dumped”, after which he began talking about family loyalty.
“Stuck with Uba Sani until he realized he is being dumped then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to ADC. Where was he since? Purely serving his interest,” Bashir wrote.
He accused his brother of remaining neutral while others criticised the Kaduna State governor.
Bashir also alleged that Bello asked him to “pipe down my criticism of his former boss,” apparently referring to Sani.
One of Bashir’s tweets. The expletives have been redacted.
“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir added, while describing his brother as a hypocrite.
Bashir also made several other allegations against Bello in the X posts, some of which were later deleted.
The allegations bordered on fertility status and unsubstantiated drug use.
Their father, Nasir el-Rufai, has been in custody since February 2026 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
On April 13, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned him at the Kaduna High Court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is also prosecuting el-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
The latest exchange between Bashir and Bello adds a new dimension to the political tensions surrounding the el-Rufai family, coming against the backdrop of their father’s political realignment and ongoing legal battles.
