“When you see the son of a former governor celebrating with Ashiru while his father’s ally is protesting, it tells you there are deeper political calculations going on.”
Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has stirred fresh political conversations after openly celebrating with Isah Ashiru-Kudan, following the controversial African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primaries in Kaduna State.
The younger El-Rufai shared photographs of himself, his brother Bello El-Rufai and Mr Ashiru in what appeared to be a victory celebration shortly after the former lawmaker emerged winner of the party’s governorship primary.
He later posted an Ashiru’s campaign poster on Facebook, a move many political observers interpreted as an endorsement of the ADC candidate despite protests from Ja’afaru Sani, one of his father, Nasir El-Rufai’s closest political allies, who rejected the outcome of the primary.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Ashiru, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Makarfi/Kudan Federal Constituency, secured 86,113 votes to clinch the ADC ticket in the statewide direct primary.
Mr Sani, a former commissioner under Nasir El-Rufai, who came second with 29,580 votes, swiftly rejected the result as manipulated and “concocted.”
In a four-minute video circulated on social media, Mr Sani alleged that elections did not take place in several local government areas before the winner was announced.
The controversy surrounding the primary has since deepened intrigues within Kaduna’s opposition landscape, especially after Bashir El-Rufai’s public show of solidarity with Mr Ashiru.
Many political observers had expected the younger El-Rufai to side with Mr Sani because of his long-standing relationship with his father.
Bashir’s public embrace of Mr Ashiru is being interpreted in many quarters as a signal that sections of the El-Rufai camp were rallying behind the former PDP governorship candidate as the strongest opposition figure capable of challenging the ruling APC in 2027.
For many opposition supporters, Mr Ashiru represents one of the few politicians in Kaduna with deep grassroots appeal cutting across the three senatorial zones.
The former PDP governorship candidate contested against Nasir El-Rufai in 2019 and against Governor Uba Sani in 2023, polling more than 719,000 votes in the latter election.
Some residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said the outcome of the ADC primary may have unsettled the ruling party because of Mr Ashiru’s popularity and political consistency.
“Ashiru is not a newcomer in Kaduna politics. He has structures everywhere, and people know him,” said Abubakar Sagir, a trader in Kaduna.
“The APC would prefer a weaker opposition candidate. Ashiru is someone they know can seriously mobilise voters,” he added.
Another resident, Fatima Umar, said Bashir El-Rufai’s public support carried symbolic political weight.
“When you see the son of a former governor celebrating with Ashiru while his father’s ally is protesting, it tells you there are deeper political calculations going on,” she said.
Baffa Dalhat described the development as an early indication that the 2027 governorship battle in Kaduna will be fierce.
“Whether people like it or not, Ashiru has become the face of the opposition in Kaduna. The APC cannot ignore him,” he said.
With the ADC primary generating controversy, political analysts say the coming months may determine whether the opposition party can unite behind Mr Ashiru or descend into prolonged internal disputes.
