Usman Albishir

Usman Albishir
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Yobe State North District
Assumed office
29 May 1999
Succeeded byAhmed Ibrahim Lawan
Personal details
Born15 June 1945
Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria
Died2 July 2012
Political partyPeople's Democratic Party (PDP)

Shehu Usman Albishir (15 June 1945 – 2 July 2012) was a Nigerian senator representing Yobe North constituency of Yobe State. He was a member of the business family of Alhaji Albishir Abdullahi and Late Hajiya Fatima Albishir.[1][2]

Education

He attended the following schools: Nguru Central Primary School (1953–1954), Islamic Quaranic School(1954–1956), Hausari Primary School, Maiduguri (1956–1959), Nguru Senior Primary School, Nguru (1959 – 1960), Provincial Secondary School, Maiduguri (Now Government College 1964 – 1968). He obtained the following Certificates: First Primary School Leaving Certificate (1960), University of London General Certificate of Education (GCE 1966), West African School Certificate (1968).[3]

Business

After successful completion of basic education, he joined his family business activities, where he was mentored and instructed entrepreneurial skills that culminated in the formation of chains of diversified business activities ranging from manufacturing, shipping, airline, construction and merchandising.

Politics

Usman Albishir
Left to Right: Mahmoud Bukar Maina, Late Senator Usman Albishir, Alh Yusuf Yunusa Mai hajja, and Alh Bukar Maina Nguru in 2010

His political career started in 1998, during the transitional programme of late General Sani Abacha, where he contested and won with landslide, senatorial election into the then National Assembly on the platform of United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). At the start of Fourth Republic in 1999, he contested and won the senatorial election on the platform of All Peoples' Party (APP). While in the senate, in recognition of his administrative and managerial acumen, he was elected APP Senate Leader, a position he occupied from June 1999 to April 2003.[4] He resigned this appointment voluntarily.

In June 1999, Albishir was appointed to committees on Selection, Banking & Currency, Defense, Transport and Privatization.[5]

He re-contested and won the Yobe North Senatorial District election in April 2003, on the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) platform.[6]

After reelection in 2003, he was appointed Senate Minority Leader, but resigned the position under pressure in December 2004.[7]

Albishir was a contender to be ANPP candidate for the 2007 Yobe State governorship race, supported by the incumbent Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim, and won 382 votes against Senator Mamman Bello Ali's 88 votes in the primary election.[8]

However, due to legal issues the party named Bello Ali as candidate and he was elected.

Albishir appealed this decision, and the case dragged through the courts until in February 2010, when the Supreme Court finally dismissed his last appeal.[9]

Albishir later transferred to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in hopes of winning the 2011 governorship election on that platform.[10]

On 11 January 2011, at the PDP primaries held at the August 27th Stadium in Damaturu, Yobe State, Usman Albishir defeated former minister of Police Affairs Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri and Mallam Garba Umar to clinch the party's governorship ticket for the general election in April 2011. Engineer Yakubu Bello withdrew from the race shortly before the commencement of the election while Hassan Saleh, erstwhile Secretary to Yobe State government, withdrew a few days later. Albishir scored 388 votes; Waziri got 226 while Garba Umar scored 46.[11]

Death

Usman Albishir died by car accident on July 2, 2012.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Senator Albishir Dies In Auto Crash". P.M. News. 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. ^ Idris, Hamza (2010-04-09). "Yobe: As Albishir hops off ANPPAfter a long but fruitless legal battle Senator Usman Albishir is changing political platform. But to what end?". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  3. ^ Baba, Nasir Mohammed (2011-08-01). "Islamic Schools, the Ulama, and the State in the Educational Development of Northern Nigeria". Bulletin de l'APAD (33). doi:10.4000/apad.4092. ISSN 1950-6929. S2CID 54033457.
  4. ^ "Federal Republic of Nigeria Legislative Election of 20 February and 7 March 1999". Psephos. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  5. ^ "Congressional Committees". Nigeria Congress. Archived from the original on 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  6. ^ "Senators". Dawodu. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  7. ^ Akwaya, Cletus (2004-12-05). "N100m Bribe Rocks ANPP Senate Caucus". Online Nigeria Daily News. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  8. ^ Onyelebocho, Abu (2007-03-09). "2007 presidency: Intra-party squabble threatens Buhari's chances". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  9. ^ "Yobe Guber: Albishir Loses At Supreme Court". Nigeria Newspapers Online. 2010-02-20. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  10. ^ Duku, Joel (2010-04-05). "Clash of political gladiators in Yobe State". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  11. ^ Bisalla, Suleiman M. (2011-01-11). "Kwankwaso, Yuguda, Albishir win tickets". Daily Trust. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  12. ^ Agih, Lilian (2012-07-02). "Nigeria: Senator Usman Albishir Dies in Auto Crash" – via allAfrica.
  13. ^ "PDP shocked at Albishir's death". Premium Times. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2020-09-27.