By Sabiu Abdullahi
A political disagreement involving former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Governor Uba Sani has escalated into a public dispute between two of El-Rufai’s sons.
The latest development followed a series of social media posts by Bashir El-Rufai, in which he launched strong criticisms against his elder brother, Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency.
Bashir accused Bello of hypocrisy and abandoning the family over his political relationship with Sani. He also made allegations of substance abuse against his brother.
In one of the posts, Bashir wrote: “I have a useless excuse for a brother, with his bony-ass face coated with an unknown white substance around his nostrils every night. That is your Member of the House of Representatives, representing a whole constituency, but he prefers alcohol and cocaine.”
Bashir also responded to an alleged comment by Bello in which he was reportedly told to kill himself.
“Wawa (Fool). Telling me to kill myself. The idiot should first slaughter his daughter, then I will believe he is real and serious,” he wrote.
He further alleged that Bello had remained politically close to Governor Sani until their relationship deteriorated, after which he returned to the family’s political camp.
“He was stuck with Uba Sani until he realised he was being dumped, then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Where was he before then?” Bashir said.
Bashir also accused his brother of pursuing personal political interests rather than standing with the family during its disagreements with the governor.
“He is purely serving his own interests. When people like us were countering the ‘towel governor,’ the bastard was nowhere to be found—hiding, eating, and wiping his mouth. This is the same idiot who asked me to pipe down on my criticisms,” he added.
The dispute between the El-Rufai brothers is linked to the worsening relationship between their father and Governor Sani.
Sani and Nasir El-Rufai were previously political allies, but their relationship deteriorated after Sani accused the administration he inherited of leaving behind substantial financial obligations.
The governor had said the state inherited debts of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities. According to him, the financial burden affected the government’s capacity to meet salary obligations and execute development projects.
Bashir has since become a vocal critic of the Sani administration on social media, with repeated accusations of poor governance.
Bello, on the other hand, had initially maintained a different position. He reportedly stayed away from Bashir’s public attacks on Sani and continued to express support for the governor, whom he described as a political mentor.
Bashir’s latest outburst has now placed the differing political positions of the two brothers at the centre of public attention, with his comments accusing Bello of prioritising political interests and only returning to the family after his relationship with Sani became strained.
