Claim: A Facebook user posted a video suggesting that President Bola Tinubu attended the Fidau prayer of Nasir El-Rufai’s mother at the National Mosque, Abuja, on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Verdict:  False

Full Story

News of the passing of Hajiya Ummah El-Rufai, mother of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, broke on Friday, March 27, 2026. Shortly afterwards, reports indicated that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) released Mr El-Rufai from custody on compassionate grounds to attend his mother’s burial.

El-Rufai had been detained since February 18, 2026, over corruption allegations tied to his eight-year tenure as governor. He also faces a pending suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, stemming from his claim during a live television programme that he intercepted a phone call from the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, which led to his arrest. El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing, alleging political persecution.

Although El-Rufai supported President Tinubu during the 2023 election, their alliance collapsed after his ministerial nomination was blocked in the Senate over “security concerns”. Since then, El-Rufai has openly criticised Tinubu’s reforms, while Tinubu’s supporters dismiss his remarks as bitterness from being sidelined.

During the Fidau prayer for El-Rufai’s mother, a video circulated on social media claiming President Tinubu attended the event at the National Mosque. The clip quickly gained traction, with some praising Tinubu for “politics without bitterness”, while others questioned its authenticity.

NDRFactcheck has decided to check the claim.

Verification

NDRFactcheck did a quick check on any publication to that effect in a credible media platform. Our search returned nil. Our search also revealed that the claim has been posted on several Facebook accounts here and here.

We traced the Fidau prayer to a YouTube channel. It was streamed on HausaTimesOfficial . Footage showed El-Rufai alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and NSA Nuhu Ribadu, but not Tinubu, suggesting that the president was, at best, represented there.

NDRFatccheck then subjected the trending video to an advanced check. We did a Google reverse image search through the key frames. We traced one of the frames to TheCable on X, which made it clear that the video showing President Tinubu attending his 74th birthday prayer at Abuja National Mosque, not El Rufai’s mother’s Fidau.

A State House release affirmed that President Tinubu arrived at the mosque a few minutes after 3:00 p.m., where he participated in the special prayers and later observed the Asr prayer with Muslim faithful before departing the venue.

Going by the timeline check, reports from Daily Post confirmed the Fidau took place at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Meanwhile, Blueprint reported Tinubu arrived at the mosque after 3:00 p.m. for his birthday prayers and the Asr prayer, apparently hours after the fidau.

Conclusion

The viral video misrepresented President Tinubu’s presence. He did not attend the Fidau prayer for El-Rufai’s mother; instead, the footage was from his own birthday prayers held later the same day at the same venue. The verdict is False.

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