Tension in El-Rufai Family as Bashir Launches Explosive Attack on Brother
Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly attacked his elder brother, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, in a series of social media posts.
Bashir accused the federal lawmaker of abusing cocaine and alcohol in posts published on X on Saturday.
The nature of the disagreement between the brothers was not immediately clear.
However, Bashir’s comments suggested that their differences may also be connected to Bello’s political activities and his relationship with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
In one of the posts, Bashir launched a personal attack against the lawmaker and alleged that he regularly used cocaine and alcohol.
He 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 in the House, representing a whole populace, but prefers alcohol and cocaine. Yes, you.”
The allegation quickly attracted reactions from users on the social media platform.
Some followers urged Bashir to keep the disagreement away from the public and resolve the matter privately.
One user, @cryptogeekng, responded: “If you are referring to your blood brother, you must be the one on colos. Settle out of court and social media.”
Bashir rejected the suggestion and maintained that the allegation was directed at his brother.
“He’s the one on colos, actually, and a diet of cocaine and whiskey,” he replied.
Mohammed Bello El-Rufai is a member of the House of Representatives, where he represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency.
The lawmaker was elected to the Green Chamber in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He remained with the ruling party after his father left the APC in 2025.
Nasir El-Rufai resigned his membership of the APC in March 2025 after a major political disagreement with the party.
He subsequently became associated with the African Democratic Congress, ADC, which has emerged as one of the opposition platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bello, however, did not immediately follow his father.
His eventual decision to leave the APC came on May 7, 2026, when his defection to the ADC was announced on the floor of the House of Representatives by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Bello later confirmed that he would seek re-election to represent Kaduna North under the ADC.
It was this political history that appeared to feature prominently in Bashir’s latest criticism of his brother.
In another post, Bashir accused Bello of remaining close to Uba Sani until he allegedly realised that his political interests were no longer being served.
He wrote: “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 also accused his brother of asking him to reduce his criticism of the Kaduna governor when Bello was still politically aligned with Sani.
“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir wrote in another post while attacking what he described as hypocrisy.
Some of the posts reportedly contained further personal allegations against Bello. Some were later deleted.
Nasir El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023, has remained involved in opposition politics since leaving the APC.
His political relationship with his successor, Uba Sani, has also deteriorated considerably since Sani became governor.
Sani was once regarded as a close political ally of El-Rufai and served in the Senate before succeeding him as Kaduna governor in 2023.
Their relationship later became strained, with both camps publicly trading accusations over issues connected to the former administration and the state government.
The former governor is also facing legal proceedings over allegations relating to his time in office.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, arraigned El-Rufai on an amended nine-count charge in April 2026. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
The charges include alleged offences under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, the Kaduna State Penal Code and the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law.
El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing in the matters surrounding the investigation.
The former governor is also facing a separate case brought by the Department of State Services over allegations connected to the interception of a telephone conversation.
However, Neither Bello El-Rufai nor his representatives had publicly responded to Bashir’s latest allegations as of the time of filing this report.
The claims of cocaine and alcohol abuse made by Bashir remain allegations and have not been independently established.
