The sons of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, have been thrown into a fresh public family feud, with Bashir el-Rufai launching a blistering, expletive-laden attack on his brother, Bello.
Bashir took to X on Saturday morning to accuse Bello, a member of the House of Representatives, of abandoning the family politically and only remembering “family loyalty” after his political fortunes appeared to change.
Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, remained in the All Progressives Congress (APC) after their father resigned from the party in March 2025.
He eventually defected from the APC to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on May 7, 2026, joining his father in the opposition party.
But Bashir questioned the timing of the move, alleging that his brother had remained aligned with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani until he realised that he was no longer politically favoured.
“Stuck with Uba Sani until he realised he is being dumped then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to ADC. Where was he since? Purely serving his interest,” Bashir wrote.
He further accused Bello of remaining silent while others criticised Sani and claimed that his brother had previously asked him to tone down his criticism of the governor, whom Bello had once supported politically.
“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir added in another post, describing his brother as a hypocrite.
The exchange subsequently descended into more personal territory, with Bashir making other allegations against Bello, including claims relating to his fertility and alleged drug use. Some of the posts were later deleted.
The public altercation comes against the backdrop of wider political and legal troubles surrounding the el-Rufai family.
Their father, Nasir el-Rufai, has been in custody since February 2026 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as Kaduna governor 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 bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is also prosecuting him before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations relating to wiretapping.
The latest clash between Bashir and Bello has now added a highly personal dimension to the political divisions surrounding the el-Rufai family, with the brothers publicly trading accusations and questioning each other’s loyalty.