Ahmad Aliyu is the Governor of Sokoto State. An accountant who worked in local government finance, he was Aminu Tambuwal’s deputy until he resigned in 2018 when Tambuwal returned to the PDP. He defeated Tambuwal’s party in 2023 to win the governorship for the APC.1

Career

Aliyu was born in Sokoto. He worked as a cashier, auditor and accountant and was director of finance in Kebbe Local Government before serving twice as a state commissioner. He was elected Deputy Governor in 2015, resigned in November 2018, and became the first Executive Secretary of the Police Trust Fund.1

Governor (2023–present)

Aliyu won the March 2023 election and took office on 29 May 2023.1 In 2024 his government sponsored changes to the state’s chieftaincy law that moved the power to appoint and remove district and village heads from the Sultan of Sokoto to the governor, and it removed several traditional rulers. Islamic and civic groups said the changes undermined the Sultanate, the seat of Nigeria’s Muslim leadership; a court restrained the removals.23 Banditry in the eastern part of the state remains a serious problem.

References

  1. Ahmad Aliyu. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. Court restrains Sokoto govt from removing district heads. ThisDay, 28 June 2024. ↩

  3. Islamic group MURIC raises fresh alarm, rejects Sokoto Assembly’s bill to limit Sultan’s powers. Sahara Reporters, 26 June 2024. ↩