Bello El-Rufai Speaks On His Father’s Rift With Governor Sani, Presidential Ambition

 NewsOnline Nigeriareports that the member representing Kaduna North in the House of Representatives and son of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Muhammad Bello El-Rufai, has distanced himself from the ongoing rift between his father and the current Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, Bello stated that while he respected both men, describing his father as his “number one role model” and Sani as his former boss, he noted that he is not responsible for reconciling them.

He said his primary duty was to ensure quality representation for the people of Kaduna North.

“It is not pleasant for us. Even if a person is my enemy, I do not want to see him fighting with another enemy of mine. I want peace,” Bello said.

Kaduna Debt Controversy And Fallout

The rift between the two political figures stems from allegations of financial mismanagement during El-Rufai’s tenure.

Governor Uba Sani previously stated that his predecessor’s debt was so overwhelming that the government struggled to pay workers’ salaries.

“The state government cannot even pay the salaries of workers with the little money we get,” Sani had lamented.

Following this revelation, the Kaduna State House of Assembly launched an investigation into the borrowing and disbursement of ₦423 billion during El-Rufai’s administration.

The probe led to legal action, with some former officials being arrested or remanded in custody. One was reportedly hospitalized from shock after being nabbed by an anti-graft agency, while a former female commissioner allegedly went into hiding.

Despite widespread reports of the rift, Bello El-Rufai expressed skepticism about the feud between his father and the governor.

However, contrary to Bello’s claim that neither had openly criticized the other, former Governor El-Rufai recently responded to Uba Sani’s accusations on social media, expressing displeasure over the governor’s comments.

A Political Friendship Gone Sour

El-Rufai and Uba Sani, once close allies, have grown apart since the latter took over as governor. The situation escalated when Sani’s administration initiated a probe into El-Rufai’s government’s financial activities.

Many people were surprised by the incident, as pundits believed that El-Rufa’i contributed to Uba Sani’s victory in the governorship race.

Bello said, in his opinion, this was nothing because the investigation was not a crime. However, if it was done with an ulterior motive, Almighty Allah, who is all forgiving, will judge in favour of the victimised.

When asked if he thought he could reconcile his father and Uba Sani, he said, ” By Almighty Allah, it is not my work. My work is to focus on helping the people of Kaduna North Constituency.”

He, however, indicated that he wanted peace and that he wanted the duo to be in harmony.

“I like peace and keeping trust. If someone touches me, we will have an argument with him, but not outside, but this is who I am.”

Bello said that restoring peace between them is possible, but he emphasized their respective positions and how he prays for peace.

He further stated, “In my opinion, there is no one as good as Malam Nasiru politically, he only puts his work first and there is no one I want to be like him, and he is my father, a father is a father.”

“And about him, Governor Uba Sani, all those who are waiting for me to say something about him, it’s surprising.”

Bello El-Rufai, however, explained that even though he would live up to his people’s expectations by being generous, he could be overwhelmed, as people, even from outside his constituency, had begun to seek favour from him.

“Once people ask me for help, I cannot sleep until I do something about it; that’s how I am,” he said.

Bello also said he was not sure his father was nursing any ambition to be the President of Nigeria, as they never discussed that, even while they were in the United States of America.