Shehu Usman Albishir (15 June 1945 – 2 July 2012) was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

senator representing

Yobe Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu; and it's largest and most populated city is Potisku ...

North constituency of Yobe State. He was a member of the business family of Alhaji Albishir Abdullahi and Late Hajiya Fatima Albishir.

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).

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

His political career started in 1998, during the transitional programme of late General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

, where he contested and won with landslide, senatorial election into the then National Assembly on the platform of

United Nigeria Congress Party The United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) was a Nigerian political party. It was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, in ...

(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. He resigned this appointment voluntarily. In June 1999, Albishir was appointed to committees on Selection, Banking & Currency, Defense, Transport and Privatization. He re-contested and won the Yobe North Senatorial District election in April 2003, on the

All Nigeria People's Party The All Nigeria Peoples Party ( abbr. ANPP) was a political party in Nigeria. Under the leadership of Late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke who was its vice presidential candidate to General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2007 presidential elections. The party ...

(ANPP) platform. After reelection in 2003, he was appointed Senate Minority Leader, but resigned the position under pressure in December 2004. Albishir was a contender to be ANPP candidate for the 2007 Yobe State governorship race, supported by the incumbent Governor

Bukar Abba Ibrahim Bukar Abba Ibrahim (1949) was governor of Yobe State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He also served as governor of the state from January 1992 to November 1993. He is a member of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP). Background Ibr ...

, and won 382 votes against Senator

Mamman Bello Ali Mamman Bello Ali (1958 – 26 January 2009) was Nigerian Senator for Yobe South senatorial district. He was the chairman senate committee on public account from 1999 to 2007, and the Governor of Yobe State from 2007 until his death in 2009. ...

's 88 votes in the primary election. 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. Albishir later transferred to the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

(PDP) in hopes of winning the 2011 governorship election on that platform. 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.

Death

Usman Albishir died by car accident on July 2, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albishir, Usman Members of the Senate (Nigeria) 2012 deaths People from Yobe State All People's Party (Nigeria) politicians All Nigeria Peoples Party politicians 1945 births 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople 20th-century Nigerian politicians 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople 21st-century Nigerian politicians