Profile
Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar is a Nigerian lawyer and the former governor of Bauchi State who served between 2015 and 2019, under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He began his career in the civil service and rose through the ranks to become the Bauchi State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
Personal Life
He was born on 11th December 1956, in Gombe State, to the family of Late Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar. He is married to Aisha Abubakar, and together they have five children. Abubakar is an avid supporter of the Manchester United premier league football club. He is the first Makama Babba of Bauchi.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| Nigerian Law School, Lagos State | BL (Bachelor of Laws) | 1978-1979 |
| Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State | LLB. (Hons) | 1975-1978 |
| School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State | Pre-degree Certificate | 1974 |
| Government College, Kano State | Secondary School Leaving Certificate | 1970-1974 |
| Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano State
Jos Native Authority Primary School, Plateau State |
First School Leaving Certificate | 1969;
1963-1968 |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi State Branch | Chairman | 1996-1998 |
| M. A. Abubakar & Co. (Fortuna Chambers) | Managing Partner | 1993 |
| Ministry of Justice, Bauchi State | Director of Public Prosecution
Acting Director, Civil Litigations Principal State Counsel |
1986-1988 |
| Yankari Games Reserve and Tourism Company Ltd., Bauchi State | Secretary/Legal Adviser | 1984-1986 |
| Ministry of Justice, Bauchi State | Principal State Counsel
Senior State Counsel |
1983 -1984 |
| Bauchi State House of Assembly | Head, Legal Drafting Department | 1983 |
| Ministry of Justice, Bauchi State | Senior Parliamentary Counsel
Pupil State Counsel |
1981 |
| University of Science and Technology, Rivers State | Lecturer | 1979-1980 |
Political History
Due to his experience in law and governmental affairs, Abubakar was appointed Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Bauchi State, between 1990 and 1991, before handing over to the civilian government. However, the civilian government re-appointed him to this office from 1991 to 1993. Following the takeover of the military government in 1993, Abubakar went back into private practice at his law firm (M. A. Abubakar & Co.), until he was elected as the Deputy National Secretary of the Democratic People’s Party in 1997.
He was later appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and served in Kogi, Delta, Plateau and Rivers States, between 1999 and 2003. In 2003, he was promoted to the position of National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Legal Services, as well as supervisor of Borno, Jigawa and Yobe States. He held these positions until 2008 when he retired from INEC and went back to private legal practice at his law firm.
In June 2013, Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar was appointed a member of the National Judicial Council. On the 11th of April 2015, he was elected the Governor of Bauchi State, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. For his second term, he lost to Bala Mohammed, denying Abubakar re-election and becoming the first Bauchi State governor not to win his reelection bid.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
Project
- Appointment of the committee for the recovery of all illegally taken government property – which has recovered Bauchi state government property running into millions of naira.
- Construction of major Bauchi township and inter-town road projects, worth over ₦6 billion
- Dualisation of the 5-kilometre Jama’are road in Azare, Bauchi
- Disbursement of 10,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers to farmers in the state, at subsidised rates
Criticism/Controversy
- The Funds and Assets Recovery Committee, a panel set up by Governor Bala Mohammed in 2019 to recover government funds and assets taken by officials of former administrations, alleged that Abubakar had sold seven luxurious government vehicles worth approximately ₦20 million, to himself before leaving office. It was also noted that one of the vehicles worth ₦150 million was sold at ₦7.8 million.
- Abubakar was also accused of planning to award multi-million naira contracts through the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (BASUBEB) in order to leave a huge financial burden on the incoming administration. He however denied this claim stating that the ₦4 billion contracts to be awarded as a joint intervention project with the board.
