Atiku Abubakar
| Atiku Abubakar | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 11th Vice President of Nigeria | |
|
In office 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 |
|
| President | Olusegun Obasanjo |
| Preceded by | Mike Akhigbe |
| Succeeded by | Goodluck Jonathan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 November 1946 Jada, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Jada, Adamawa, Nigeria) |
| Political party |
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| Alma mater | Ahmadu Bello University |
| Religion | Islam |
| Website | atiku |
Atiku Abubakar (born 25 November 1946) is a Nigerian politician, businessman and philanthropist, who served as the second elected Vice-President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), with President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Abubakar worked in the Nigeria Customs Service for twenty years, rising to become the Deputy Director, as the second highest position in the Service was then known. He retired in April 1989 and took up full-time business and politics. He ran for the office of Governor in the Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba States) in 1991, and for the Presidency in 1993, placing third after MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries.
In 1998 he was elected Governor of Adamawa State. While still Governor-Elect he was selected by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate. The duo went on to win elections in February 1999, and Abubakar was sworn-in as Nigeria's second democratically elected Vice President on 29 May 1999.
Abubakar's second term as Vice President was marked by a stormy relationship with President Obasanjo. His bid to succeed Obasanjo did not receive the latter's support, and it took a judgment of the Supreme Court to allow Abubakar contest after he was initially disqualified by the Independent National Electoral Commission on the grounds that he had been indicted for financial misconduct by an investigating panel set up at Obasanjo's behest. The Supreme Court decisiordered the electoral commission to restore Abubakar's name onto the presidential ballot. Abubakar ran on the platform of the Action Congress, having quit the PDP on account of his issues with President Obasanjo. Atiku lost the election, placing third after Umaru Yar'Adua and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
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Wikipedia