Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has issued a public apology to Vice President Kashim Shettima for a now-deleted social media post in which he described the Vice President as “painfully spineless.”

In a post on X on Sunday, Bashir described his tweet as reckless and expressed admiration for the Vice President.

Tagging Shettima’s handle, El-Rufai 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.”

In the original tweet, posted on March 6, 2026, and subsequently deleted, Bashir urged Shettima to take stronger action against alleged corruption at 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.”

The apology post gained traction on social media with some users praising Bashir for owning up to the mistake and showing accountability.

Others mocked the retraction, questioning his consistency or suggesting external pressures prompted the reversal.

In replies, Bashir insisted there were “no threats,” saying: “There was no truth in the tweet. It was uncalled for and disrespectful.

“We no dey fear arrest for this side o,” he added.

This episode comes after political fallout involving Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir’s father, and the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The ex-Kaduna governor had been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission following his arrest over allegations of corruption and money laundering.

He was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on March 24 on a 10-count charge, with the case adjourned until March 31, 2026, for hearing of pending applications, including his bail request.

He was, however, reportedly granted release from ICPC custody to attend the funeral of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, whose burial was held on Sunday. (The PUNCH)