El-Rufai’s son apologises to Shettima over social media post
Bashir El-Rufai, son of embattled former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly apologised to Vice President Kashim Shettima over a now-deleted social media post in which he described the
- By Samuel Oamen
Bashir El-Rufai, son of embattled former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly apologised to Vice President Kashim Shettima over a now-deleted social media post in which he described the Vice President as “painfully spineless.”
In a post shared on X on Sunday, Bashir admitted his remark was reckless and expressed respect for the Vice President.
Tagging Shettima’s handle, 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.
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“He is someone I greatly admire and respect. It was a reckless tweet.”
In the original post, shared on March 6, 2026, and later deleted, Bashir had urged the Vice President to take firmer action against alleged corruption at the Presidential Villa.
He wrote, “I like Shettima. He’s just painfully spineless.
“I hope one day he realizes he is positioned in a unique place, and can take the whole corrupt criminal family system at the Villa down. He has the leverage.”
The apology has since generated mixed reactions on social media, with some users commending him for taking responsibility, while others questioned the sudden reversal and speculated about possible external pressure.
Responding to critics, Bashir denied any coercion, insisting, “There was no truth in the tweet. It was uncalled for and disrespectful.
“We no dey fear arrest for this side o,” he added.
