PDP Faces APC In Last Fight For Lamido

THE two main candidates in today’s governorship election are Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Alhaji Aminu Ibrahim Ringim and All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

Abubakar Abubakar has been the National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). He contested the 2011 governorship on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but lost to Governor Sule Lamido.

At the formative period of the APC, he was the state chairman and piloted its affairs till it was rooted. Born in 1962 at Babura town, Abubakar is an Accounting alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru in Plateau State.

He is the Chairman and Chief Executive of Talamiz Group, a conglomerate with vast interest in automobile distribution, logistics, haulage, real estate, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and agro-allied, commodity distribution, etc.

Abubakar is a member of the National Council on Privatisation and Second Vice President of the Federation of West Africa Chamber of Commerce (FEWACCI). His contribution towards the development of his community in led to his conferment with the traditional titles as Sardauna of Ringim Emirate and Wali of Jahun.

He is a philanthropist, team player, community leader of high and a lover of sports. Ringim Ringim has been a notable face around the corridors of power in the state since 1999.

He was born in 1956 in Ringim town, where he started his education at Katutu Primary School and proceeded to Teachers College, Gumel, where he was trained as a teacher between 1971 and 1976.

He was employed as a classroom teacher after his training and for his hardwork and resilience, he was promoted to the rank of Headmaster within the same year, a position he held up to1980.

He had a successful stewardship as Headmaster and later gained admission into the Kano State College of Education, where he obtained his NCE, majoring in English/History in1982.

In 1983, he contested and won a seat in the Federal House of Representatives, but the military coup of December 1983, which truncated the Second Republic, forced him to return to his hometown to engage in private business.

In 1991, he returned to active politics on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic party (SDP) and was appointed as commissioner for Agriculture under the Ali Sa’ad Birnin Kudu administration from 1991 to 1993.

Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

In 1995, he was appointed the state deputy chairman of the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), but that also lasted for a short while, following the death of former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha in June 1998.

When Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and lifted the ban on partisan politics, Ringim joined his political soul-mates to form the All Peoples Party (APP) and played a significant role towards its party winning the governorship in 1999 and was compensated as commissioner for Engineering and Infrastructure and later moved to State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from 2002 to 2003 as chairman.

In 2003, he was redeployed to Government House as Chief of Staff to former governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki. When Lamido emerged as governor, he re- appointed to the position, which he held until he resigned to contest in today’s election.

He was chairman and member of various committees, including the State Electoral Reform Committee set up for the articulation of a common position for the people of the state.

He was a member of the 2005 constitutional conference. Ringim has been one of Lamido’s backbones. As Chief of Staff, he was seen as de facto governor that influenced major political appointments. He is a close confidant of Lamido; hence it was not difficult for the governor to anoint him as his successor.