2027 election: El-Rufai’s son backs Tinubu, distances self from father’s SDP

Despite recent political shifts involving his father, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit held in Abuja, Bello who currently represents Kaduna North in the House of Representatives declared his unwavering support for Tinubu, even as his father reportedly aligns with a different political platform.

His declaration comes shortly after his father, Nasir El-Rufai, dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March 2025.

The elder El-Rufai stated that the ruling party no longer aligned with his political beliefs and formally joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he vowed to help build a strong opposition to challenge the APC in 2027

Bello’s support for Tinubu has sparked reactions.

Activist Reno Omokri mocked the situation, saying, “If El-Rufai can’t convince his son to leave Tinubu, how will he convince Nigerians?”

The family’s political split deepened last year when another El-Rufai son, Bashir, attacked Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani on social media.

He said both would lose in 2027 and claimed the probe into his father over alleged mismanagement of N423 billion was politically motivated.

He tweeted, “Nobody is too big to be ‘elected out of office’ by the people. It will happen & wallahi nothing will happen. So forget all these intimidations flying up and down. Let us be patient.”