Barau Jibrin is the Deputy President of the Senate and one of the leading APC figures in Kano State. An accountant and businessman, he has spent most of his political career on budget and appropriations work in the National Assembly.1

Early life and education

Jibrin was born on 19 June 1959 in Kabo, Kano State. He trained as an accountant and holds several postgraduate degrees, including an MBA and a doctorate in corporate entrepreneurship.1

Career before politics

After working briefly in the accounts department of the Kano State Foundation, he left in 1992 to run businesses in manufacturing, insurance and construction. He later chaired the state’s investment and properties company and served as a commissioner in Kano State.1

House of Representatives (1999–2003)

He represented Tarauni in the first House of Representatives of the Fourth Republic and chaired its Appropriations Committee.1

Senate (2015–present)

Jibrin was elected senator for Kano North on the APC platform in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2023. He has chaired the Senate committees on downstream petroleum, tertiary institutions and TETFund, and, in the 9th Senate, appropriations.1 He was elected Deputy President of the Senate unopposed on 13 June 2023, alongside Senate President Godswill Akpabio.1

Kano politics

Jibrin is a long-standing opponent of Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya movement and has accused the NNPP government of failing Kano.2 When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kwankwaso’s son-in-law, left the NNPP for the APC in January 2026, Jibrin and the party’s former national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje endorsed him as the APC’s sole candidate for governor.34 In May 2026 the APC affirmed Jibrin as its candidate for Kano North in the 2027 Senate election.5

Personal life

He is married with children.1

References

  1. Barau Jibrin. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. Barau, Doguwa tackle Kwankwaso, declare NNPP has pauperised Kano people. ThisDay, 5 October 2024. ↩

  3. 2027: Yusuf, 31 lawmakers, 44 LG chairs join APC; Ganduje, Barau endorse Kano governor as sole candidate. Arise News, 2026. ↩

  4. Gov Yusuf defects to APC with 22 state, nine federal lawmakers. Channels Television, 26 January 2026. ↩

  5. 2027: Akpabio, Barau, Bamidele, Kalu, Ndume, others win APC primary tickets. ThisDay, 19 May 2026. ↩