A fresh family dispute appears to have broken out among the sons of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, after Bashir El-Rufai launched a public attack on his elder brother, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives.
The reason for the disagreement remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Bashir, in a post on his X handle on Saturday morning, made serious allegations against the lawmaker, accusing him of abusing cocaine and alcohol.
In the post, Bashir described Mohammed as a “useless excuse for a brother” and alleged that he had been using cocaine.
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 post quickly attracted reactions from some of Bashir’s followers, with several urging him not to take what appeared to be a family disagreement to social media.
One of the commenters, identified as @cryptogeekng, advised Bashir to resolve the matter privately.
The commenter wrote: “If you are referring to your blood brother, you must be the one on colos. Settle out of court and social media.”
Bashir, however, rejected the suggestion and insisted that his allegation was directed at his brother.
“He’s the one on colos, actually, and a diet of cocaine and whiskey,” he replied.
The exchange has since drawn attention because of the political profile of the El-Rufai family, with Mohammed currently serving as a federal lawmaker.
Mohammed Bello El-Rufai represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections.
His father, Nasir El-Rufai, served as Kaduna State governor from 2015 to 2023 after earlier serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory between 2003 and 2007.
The former governor has remained an influential figure in Nigerian politics since leaving office, while his children have also attracted public attention through their political activities and comments on national issues.
The latest development, however, appears to be a personal dispute rather than a disagreement over a known political issue.
There was no immediate public statement from Mohammed Bello El-Rufai responding to the allegations made by his younger brother.
The claims by Bashir had also not been independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
Allegations of drug use against public figures can have serious consequences, particularly when made against a serving elected representative. Such claims normally require evidence or confirmation from credible sources before they can be treated as established facts.
The incident also highlights the growing use of social media by Nigerians to air personal disagreements and political disputes.
X, formerly known as Twitter, has become a major platform for public debate in Nigeria, with politicians, public officials, activists and members of the public regularly using it to make statements that can quickly attract national attention.
In recent years, social media has also been used by public figures to make accusations against one another, sometimes before the persons involved have an opportunity to respond.
For the El-Rufai family, the latest dispute comes against the background of a family that has maintained a strong presence in Nigeria’s public and political space.
Nasir El-Rufai’s tenure as Kaduna governor was marked by major reforms in education, infrastructure, public service and urban development, but also by controversies and criticism over several government policies.
Since leaving office, the former governor has remained active in political discussions, particularly on issues relating to governance and the direction of the APC.
His son, Mohammed, has followed a political path of his own by becoming a federal lawmaker, while Bashir has largely been known for his outspoken views on social media.
For now, the allegations remain claims made by Bashir, with no independent evidence presented publicly to support them and no response from Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on the matter.