Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, distancing himself from his father’s recent defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, was present at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit in Abuja, where Tinubu was formally adopted as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
His endorsement of Tinubu comes just two months after Nasir El-Rufai announced his exit from the APC, citing ideological differences.
The former governor had joined the SDP in March 2025, vowing to help unify the opposition in a bid to defeat the APC at the polls.
The contrasting political stance between father and son has stirred public reactions. Commenting on the development, political commentator and activist Reno Omokri wrote on social media: “If El-Rufai can’t convince his son to leave Tinubu, how will he convince Nigerians?”
The political rift within the El-Rufai family had previously surfaced in 2024, when Bashir El-Rufai, another son of the former governor, criticised President Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani on social media.
Bashir had predicted electoral defeat for both in 2027 and described the ongoing probe into his father over alleged mismanagement of N423 billion as politically driven.
