Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Bello Mohammed El-Rufai, has officially secured the ticket of the African Democratic Congress for his re-election bid in the 2027 general election, emerging unopposed as the party’s flag-bearer in a primary election that saw him poll 7,727 votes. The announcement was made in a statement released on Saturday, May 30, 2026, where the first-term legislator, who is the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, expressed profound gratitude to party leaders, delegates, and supporters for what he described as an overwhelming show of trust and confidence. “I am deeply honoured and humbled to emerge unopposed as the flag bearer of the African Democratic Congress for Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the just concluded primary election, with a total of 7,727 votes,” El-Rufai declared.
The development caps a dramatic political realignment that began less than four weeks ago, when Bello El-Rufai formally severed ties with the All Progressives Congress, the party on whose platform he won his seat in the 2023 general election. On May 7, 2026, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas read El-Rufai’s resignation letter on the floor of the chamber, marking the lawmaker’s official departure from the ruling party. His defection was part of a broader wave of political movement in Kaduna State, as he was joined by two other federal lawmakers from the state — Suleiman Richifa (Soba Federal Constituency) and Umar Ajilo (Kudan/Makarfi Federal Constituency) — who also left their former parties to join the ADC. The defection was widely seen as a consolidation of the emerging ADC bloc in Kaduna State, driven in part by the growing political influence of his father, Nasir El-Rufai, who himself had joined the ADC after leaving the APC.
In his victory statement, the younger El-Rufai took the opportunity to address speculation about his conduct while he was still a member of the APC. He emphatically denied any allegations that he had secretly supported or financed opposition parties during his tenure in the ruling party. “Let me explain this. While in the APC, I have never related to the opposition. I have never financed them. My father knew better to ask me to,” he said. The lawmaker insisted that his decision to leave the APC was a matter of political conviction rather than expediency, and he pledged to campaign vigorously for the ADC in the lead-up to the 2027 elections. “There is still honour in politics. I hope to embody it. I am now in the ADC, proudly, let me assure you or anyone that doubts this, I will canvass for our party with pleasure and they know my record. We fear no one,” he declared.
The lawmaker, who has served the Kaduna North Federal Constituency for three years, described his unopposed emergence as a vote of confidence in his performance and a renewed mandate to continue delivering on his campaign promises. He thanked the leadership of the ADC, the delegates, stakeholders, and the people of Kaduna North for their support, and reaffirmed his commitment to serving the constituency with diligence and integrity. Since assuming office in 2023, Bello El-Rufai has reportedly facilitated water projects, road rehabilitation efforts, scholarships for underprivileged students, and women empowerment programmes across the constituency, building a growing political base that many analysts believe will serve him well as he seeks re-election on the ADC platform. With the primary election now concluded and his candidacy ratified, the lawmaker turns his attention to the 2027 general election, where he will seek to retain his seat in the House of Representatives under the banner of a party that is rapidly positioning itself as a formidable opposition force in Kaduna State.
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