.png)
1 hour ago
2
Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly apologised to Vice President Kashim Shettima over a controversial social media post in which he described the nation’s number two citizen as “painfully spineless.”
In a statement shared on X on Sunday, Bashir admitted that his earlier comment was inappropriate and expressed regret, while also reaffirming his respect for the Vice President.
Tagging Shettima directly, 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 apology follows backlash over an earlier post made on March 6, 2026, which has since been deleted. In that message, Bashir had criticised the Vice President and urged him to take a stronger stance against alleged corruption within 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 has the ability to take the whole corrupt criminal family system at the Villa down. He has the leverage tbh.”
His public retraction has generated mixed reactions online, with some social media users commending him for acknowledging his mistake, while others questioned the sincerity of the apology and speculated about possible external pressure.
Read also: NCC mandates telcos to compensate users over poor network quality
Responding to such claims, Bashir dismissed suggestions of coercion, insisting that his change of stance was voluntary.
“There was no truth in the tweet. It was uncalled for and disrespectful.
“We no dey fear arrest for this side o,” he added.
The development comes amid ongoing political tensions involving his father, Nasir El-Rufai, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former governor had recently been detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations bordering on corruption and money laundering.
He was subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on March 24 on a 10-count charge, with proceedings adjourned to March 31, 2026, for the hearing of pending applications, including his bail request.
However, he was later granted temporary release from ICPC custody to attend the burial of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, which took place on Sunday.
The post Bashir El-Rufai retracts ‘spineless’ remark, apologises to Shettima appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
