Despite his father’s recent switch to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has ditched his father’s coalition moves, declaring his support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
Bello, who represents Kaduna North in the House of Representatives, attended the APC National Summit in Abuja, where Tinubu received the party’s endorsement as its only candidate for the 2027 election.
In March 2025, his father, Nasir El-Rufai, resigned from the APC, claiming that the party no longer aligned with his principles.
He pledged to bring the opposition together to defeat the APC in 2027 when he joined the SDP.
Reactions have been generated by Bello’s backing of Tinubu.
“How will El-Rufai persuade Nigerians to leave Tinubu if he can’t persuade his son to do so?” said activist Reno Omokri, making fun of the issue.
Last year, when Bashir, another El-Rufai son, attacked Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani on social media, the political division within the family grew.
He asserted that both would lose in 2027 and stated the investigation into his father’s alleged misuse of ₦423 billion was driven by politics.
He tweeted, “Nobody is too big to be ‘elected out of office’ by the people. It will happen, and wallahi, nothing will happen. So forget all these intimidations flying up and down. Let us be patient.”