El-Rufai Family Feud Deepens as Bashir Attacks Bello

Accuses lawmaker of belated defection, loyalty to Uba Sani

A festering disagreement within the family of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, erupted into the public domain yesterday as his son, Bashir, launched a scathing, expletive-laden attack on his elder brother, Bello, questioning the federal lawmaker’s loyalty to their family.

In a series of posts on X, some of which were subsequently deleted, Bashir accused Bello of pursuing narrow political interests and remaining aligned with Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, even after the governor’s relationship with their father had deteriorated.

Sani, once a close political associate of the former governor, fell out with him after emerging victorious in the 2023 Kaduna governorship election.

Following el-Rufai’s resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March 2025, Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, remained in the ruling party.

He, however, defected from the APC to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on May 7, 2026, joining his father in the opposition party.

Reacting to the defection, Bashir alleged that Bello remained loyal to Sani until he realised that the governor was no longer favourably disposed towards him, after which he began invoking family loyalty.

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

He also accused the lawmaker of maintaining a neutral position while other members of the family openly criticised the Kaduna State governor.

According to Bashir, Bello had previously asked him to tone down his criticism of his former political benefactor, apparently referring to Sani.

“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir declared, as he branded his brother a hypocrite.

The bitter outburst also contained several highly personal and unsubstantiated allegations against Bello, including claims relating to his private life and alleged drug use. Some of the posts were later removed.

Neither Bello nor the El-Rufai family had publicly responded to Bashir’s allegations at the time of filing this report.

The dispute unfolded against the backdrop of the former governor’s continuing legal troubles.

El-Rufai has been in custody since February 2026 over allegations of financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.