El-Rufai’s sons clash publicly as Bashir attacks brother Bello over political defection

A fresh political disagreement has erupted within the family of former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai, with his sons, Bashir and Bello, becoming embroiled in a public dispute over political loyalty.

Bashir el-Rufai on Saturday launched a series of strongly worded attacks against his brother, Bello, on X, accusing him of putting personal political interests ahead of family loyalty.

The dispute followed Bello’s recent political realignment after he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the same political platform adopted by his father.

Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, had remained in the APC after his father left the party in March 2025.

He eventually defected from the ruling party to the ADC on May 7, 2026, joining Nasir el-Rufai in the opposition party.

Bashir, however, questioned the timing of his brother’s decision, particularly his previous relationship with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.

Sani, who succeeded Nasir el-Rufai as governor in 2023, was once regarded as a close political associate of the former governor. Their relationship later deteriorated following Sani’s emergence as governor.

Reacting to Bello’s political movement, Bashir alleged that his brother remained aligned with Sani until he believed that his political interests were threatened.

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“Stuck with Uba Sani until he realized he was being dumped then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to ADC. Where has he since? Purely serving his interest,” Bashir wrote in one of his posts.

He further accused Bello of maintaining neutrality while other members of the family and political allies criticised the Kaduna governor.

Bashir also alleged that Bello had previously asked him to tone down his criticism of Sani, whom he described as his brother’s former political ally.

“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir added in another post, while accusing Bello of hypocrisy.

The online exchange escalated as Bashir made several other allegations against his brother, although some of the posts were subsequently deleted. Some of the claims touched on deeply personal matters, including fertility and alleged drug use, but were not independently substantiated.

The public dispute comes at a politically sensitive period for the el-Rufai family, with the former Kaduna governor facing legal proceedings over allegations linked to his tenure.

Nasir el-Rufai has been in custody since February 2026 over alleged financial impropriety relating to his administration between 2015 and 2023.

On April 13, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned the former governor before the Kaduna State High Court on an amended nine-count charge involving alleged fraud and abuse of office.

El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing in the matters surrounding his administration.

Separately, the Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting the former governor before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations relating to wiretapping.

The latest disagreement between Bashir and Bello has therefore added a family dimension to the wider political tensions surrounding the former governor and his allies, particularly as the ADC seeks to consolidate opposition figures ahead of future political contests.