"It’s a Lesson in Life": El-Rufai’s Son Says Peter Obi’s Calls About His Detained Father Taught Him Humility

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

A member of the House of Representatives from Kaduna North and Chairman of the Committee on Banking Regulations, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, has revealed that the presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, called him to ask about his father, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, who has been in detention since February 2026. Bello also disclosed that their running mates, Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, also called him to ask about El-Rufai. The disclosure, made in a video shared online on Sunday, September 28, 2026, offered a rare glimpse into the personal dynamics that persist beneath the surface of Nigeria's fierce political rivalries.

Bello, who is 38 years old, said he had been a strong critic of Peter Obi in the past, making the former Anambra State governor's consistent concern for his father particularly meaningful. "Politicians like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Kwankwaso, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and others called me to ask about my dad," Bello said. "I would like to thank them, particularly Mr Peter Obi. He always called me to ask about my dad. And for me, at 38, it's a lesson in life because, in the case of Obi, I used to be critical of him". He described the calls as a lesson in humility, a reminder that political differences do not have to descend into personal animosity. "And for Malam, he is using the time to finish books, catch up, read the Quran, so it's also a moment for him in isolation to reflect, plan better, and tone down on things like that," Bello added, referring to his father by the honorific "Malam".

The disclosure comes amid the prolonged detention of Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State and one of the most influential political figures in Northern Nigeria. El-Rufai was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on February 18, 2026, following investigations into alleged fraud during his tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023. The allegations included a N423 billion mismanagement claim from a 2024 Kaduna Assembly report, alongside separate accusations involving the unlawful interception of telephone communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. From March to April 2026, El-Rufai faced multiple arraignments across different courts, including a 10-count money laundering charge, additional ICPC charges regarding rail and CCTV contracts, and a formal arraignment by the Department of State Services over alleged communication interception.

In May 2026, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted El-Rufai bail in the sum of N100 million and one surety, in a case filed by the DSS regarding an alleged national security breach. However, in June, Justice Abdulmalik refused to vary the stringent bail conditions, and El-Rufai has remained in custody. The DSS had previously accused El-Rufai's family of inciting the public against the judiciary, and his family and loyalists staged protests at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, describing his detention as a violation of his rights. In September 2026, a Federal High Court reserved ruling on his no-case submission in the wiretapping case, adjourning the matter until October 26.

The political context of the outreach from Atiku, Obi, Amaechi and Kwankwaso is significant. El-Rufai, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress, has become a vocal critic of the party and the Tinubu administration since leaving office, even calling for the opposition to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections. His detention has become a rallying point for opposition figures, who have described it as political persecution. Peter Obi had earlier publicly criticised the detention of the former Kaduna governor, describing it as "political persecution" and calling for the rule of law to prevail. Atiku's aide, Phrank Shaibu, had dared President Tinubu to release El-Rufai if he posed no threat to his electoral quest. The calls from the presidential candidates to El-Rufai's son can therefore be read as both a genuine expression of concern and a political statement against the Tinubu administration's handling of the case.

The reactions to Bello's disclosure have been mixed. Some observers see the calls as evidence that political leaders can rise above partisan differences, while others view them as opportunistic gestures designed to curry favour with El-Rufai's political base in the North. Bello himself framed the calls as a lesson in humility, acknowledging that he had been critical of Obi in the past but had been moved by his consistent concern. "It's a lesson in life," he said. For a family navigating the trauma of a prolonged detention, the calls from political rivals may offer a measure of comfort, a reminder that even in the harshest of political battles, human decency can still find a way through. For the wider public, the disclosure offers a rare window into the personal networks that operate beneath the surface of Nigeria's political conflict, where relationships are rarely as simple as the public posturing suggests. As El-Rufai's legal battles continue, the calls from Atiku, Obi, Amaechi and Kwankwaso will be remembered not just for what they say about the politicians who made them, but for what they reveal about the man at the centre of the storm and the son who has become his voice in the public square.

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