The son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir El-Rufai, has ignited controversy with a comment on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that violence in Southern Kaduna would persist if residents continued to attack Fulani herdsmen.
Bashir, known for his controversial outspoken nature on social media, deleted the tweet shortly after facing backlash.
His remark came in response to a post from an X user, @qykali, who had criticized him for referring to President Bola Tinubu as “Pablo.” The user also accused Bashir’s father of overseeing widespread ethnic violence in Southern Kaduna during his tenure as governor.
In reaction, Bashir wrote: “It is your stupid mother that is an elephant. And Southern Kaduna residents will keep seeing sheghe (trouble or suffering) if they continue to attack indigenous Fulani herdsmen. Oloshi.”
The use of the Hausa slang “sheghe” (shege), which implies suffering or severe consequences, has drawn condemnation, with many accusing Bashir of endorsing violence against communities that have historically suffered deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen.
This controversy comes shortly after his father’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
In his resignation letter dated March 10, 2025, El-Rufai accused the party of straying from its founding principles and failing to address internal issues.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he wrote.
