Peter Obi always called me to ask about my dad. At 38, it’s a lesson in life – El-Rufai’s son (video)

A member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North and Chairman of the Committee on Banking Regulations, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, has disclosed that top political leaders, including African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, have reached out to him regarding his detained father, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Mohammed Bello El-Rufai also disclosed that their respective vice-presidential running mates, Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have similarly placed calls to inquire about the former governor’s situation.

Former Governor, Nasir El-Rufai was arrested on February 18, 2026, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following investigations into alleged fraud during his tenure in office.


 Between March and April 2026, the former governor faced multiple arraignments across various courts. The ICPC arraigned him on a 10-count money laundering charge on March 24, after which he was intercepted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on April 1.



He subsequently faced additional charges filed by the ICPC regarding rail and CCTV contracts, before being formally arraigned by the DSS in Abuja on April 23 over allegations of illegal communication interception.

 In May 2026, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Nasir El-Rufai bail in the sum of ₦100 million with one surety in the suit filed by the DSS concerning alleged security breaches and unauthorized access to telephone conversations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.


 In June, Justice Abdulmalik declined an application to vary the bail conditions.Reflecting on the phone calls from political figures, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai noted that Peter Obi’s outreach was particularly instructive, given his own past public criticism of the former Anambra State governor.


In a video statement, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai said:

“Politicians like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and others called me to ask about my dad.“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.“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.”