Kaduna Politics Spark Bitter Family Feud: El-Rufai’s Sons Clash Publicly Online

The widening political rift in Kaduna State has taken a deeply personal turn as Bashir El-Rufai launched a fierce public attack against his elder brother, Bello El-Rufai, exposing a bitter division within the family of the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

The sudden fallout, which played out in a series of expletive-laden posts on social media platform X, directly stems from contrasting loyalties regarding the ongoing political dispute between their father and the incumbent Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani.

The Core of the Dispute: Clashing Political Loyalties

The family feud escalated rapidly following a public interview where Bello El-Rufai, who represents the Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, distanced himself from the ongoing friction.

• Bello’s Neutral Stance: Speaking on BBC Hausa, Bello stated that while his father remains his mentor, it is not his legislative responsibility to mediate the political breakdown between Nasir El-Rufai and Governor Uba Sani. He additionally stated that he would not publicly criticize the governor.
• Bashir’s Allegations of Betrayal: Bashir El-Rufai, who has been a vocal critic of the Uba Sani administration, took severe offense to his brother's neutral stance. Bashir blasted Bello online, accusing him of abandoning the family’s interests and protecting Governor Sani until he felt his own political influence was being sidelined.

Escalation into Personal Attacks

The digital confrontation quickly shifted from political disagreements to severe personal mudslinging. In his social media posts, Bashir hurled heavy allegations against the federal lawmaker, publicly accusing his brother of substance abuse, hypocrisy, and prioritizing personal political gains over family solidarity.

Despite appeals from followers on X urging him to settle the sensitive matter privately, Bashir doubled down on his statements, intensifying the public nature of the family's internal crisis.

The Broader Political Backdrop

This fraternal war is the latest casualty of the fractured relationship between former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his successor, Governor Uba Sani. The political allies fell out publicly after Uba Sani declared that his administration inherited a crippling multi-million dollar debt profile from the previous El-Rufai government. The tension has only deepened as the elder El-Rufai remains entangled in ongoing legal and state probes regarding his 2015–2023 tenure.