The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has distanced itself from a widely circulated letter challenging the nomination of Isah Ashiru as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, describing the document as completely fabricated.
In a statement released on Thursday, the family rejected the authenticity of the letter, insisting that it neither originated from the former governor nor reflected his views.
The controversial document, titled “Urgent Message” and dated July 14, 2026, was allegedly addressed to the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC and purportedly bore El-Rufai’s signature.
According to the family, the document was riddled with grammatical errors and poor handwriting, making it obvious that it did not come from the former governor.
“The spurious letter, purportedly dated July 14, 2026, and addressed to the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, should be disregarded as the shabby fake that it is,” the statement read.
It further stated, “Neither the poor content nor the handwriting has anything to do with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.”
The fake letter had questioned the legitimacy of Isah Ashiru’s emergence as the ADC governorship candidate for Kaduna State.
It alleged that Ashiru failed to complete the party’s mandatory online membership registration before the stipulated deadline of April 30, 2026.
The document also claimed that his emergence had generated internal disagreements within the party and called on the ADC’s national leadership, as well as its Kaduna State chapter, to review the nomination process.
Reacting to the allegations contained in the forged document, El-Rufai’s family accused unidentified individuals of attempting to stir confusion and create unnecessary divisions within the opposition party.
According to the statement, those responsible were engaging in desperate political tactics aimed at misleading party members and the general public.
“The fake letter shows another resort to desperation by Mallam’s traducers who seek to sow confusion and division,” the family stated.
The family further condemned the circulation of forged political documents, describing the act as dishonest and unbecoming of democratic politics.
“Their attempt at politics by fakery should be dismissed and condemned. It is an instance of the most primitive politics, and its sponsors should be ashamed of themselves,” the statement added.
The family urged members of the public, party supporters and political stakeholders to ignore the document completely, insisting that El-Rufai had not issued any communication challenging Ashiru’s candidacy.
The statement was signed on behalf of the El-Rufai family by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, one of the former governor’s sons.
The development comes amid increasing political activities ahead of future elections, with political parties across the country experiencing internal realignments, coalition talks and candidate selection processes.
