El-Rufai’s Son Breaks Ranks, Backs Tinubu for 2027 Despite Father’s SDP Defection

Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and current lawmaker representing Kaduna North, has publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid—despite his father’s recent defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Bello made his position clear at the APC National Summit in Abuja, where Tinubu was officially endorsed as the ruling party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

This political divergence comes just two months after Nasir El-Rufai left the APC, citing a loss of confidence in the party’s values. He joined the SDP with a promise to rally the opposition and challenge the APC in 2027.

Bello’s stance has drawn mixed reactions. Notably, political commentator Reno Omokri questioned Nasir El-Rufai’s influence, stating, “If El-Rufai can’t convince his son to leave Tinubu, how will he convince Nigerians?”

Tensions within the El-Rufai family have been building. In 2024, another son, Bashir El-Rufai, lashed out at Tinubu and Kaduna Governor Uba Sani on social media, predicting their defeat in 2027 and dismissing the ongoing probe into his father’s alleged mismanagement of N423 billion as politically motivated.

Bashir posted, “Nobody is too big to be ‘elected out of office.’ It will happen, and wallahi, nothing will happen. Let us be patient.”