Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly apologised to Vice President Kashim Shettima for a now-deleted social media post in which he described the Vice President as “painfully spineless.”
In a post on X on Sunday, Bashir admitted that his tweet was reckless and expressed admiration for Shettima. Tagging the Vice President, he wrote: “I want to use this medium to personally apologise to the Vice-President of Nigeria, His Excellency Sir Kashim Shettima, for my old post referring to his person as spineless. He is someone I greatly admire and respect. It was a reckless tweet.”
The original tweet, posted on March 6, 2026, urged Shettima to take stronger action against alleged corruption at the Presidential Villa. Bashir had written: “I like Shettima. He’s just painfully spineless. I hope one day he realizes he is positioned in a unique place and has the ability to take the whole corrupt criminal family system at the Villa down. He has the leverage tbh.” The tweet was later deleted.
Bashir’s apology quickly gained attention on social media. While some praised him for taking responsibility and showing accountability, others questioned the sincerity of the retraction, suggesting inconsistency or external pressure. In response to such claims, Bashir insisted there was “no truth in the tweet” and denied any threats, adding: “We no dey fear arrest for this side o.”
This episode comes amid the ongoing political fallout surrounding Nasir El-Rufai and the ruling All Progressives Congress. The former Kaduna governor was recently detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over allegations of corruption and money laundering. He was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on March 24, 2026, facing a 10-count charge, with the case adjourned to March 31 for hearing of pending applications, including bail requests.
Nasir El-Rufai was reportedly released temporarily to attend the funeral of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, whose burial took place on Sunday, marking a poignant family moment amid the legal proceedings.
