Abdullahi Mohammed Raji

Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar (born 11 December 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Bauchi State from 2015 to 2019. He is popularly known as Makama Baba.

He began his career in the Civil Service where he rose through the ranks to become the Bauchi State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

He ran for public office as Governor of Bauchi State in 2015 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the state's opposition party. He won the election, defeating the incumbent party's candidate by over 370,000 votes.

He began his tenure as the governor of Bauchi on 29 August 2016, succeeding Isa Yuguda.

Mohammed Abubakar was born in Gombe, to the family of Late Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar (ACP retired). He attended Jos Native Authority Primary School from 1963 to 1968, then Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano from 1969.

He gained admission into Government College Kano (Rumfa College, Kano) for his Secondary School education from 1970 to 1974.

On completion of his Secondary School education, Barrister Mohammed A. Abubakar proceeded to the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria for one year of a pre-degree programme.

From 1975 to 1978, he studied at the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, obtaining an LLB Hons.

He then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos from 1978 to 1979 for his BL course.

He was called to the bar after successfully completing the course. From 1979 to 1980, during his National Youth Service Corps, he lectured at Rivers State College of Science and Technology (presently the University of Science and Technology, Rivers State).

On completion of his youth service, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar joined the civil service as a Pupil State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, Bauchi State.

He rose through the ranks to the position of Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Head of Legal Drafting Department of Bauchi State House of Assembly in 1983.

When the military intervened again in 1993, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar went into private practice as Managing Partner of Fortuna Chambers.

He became the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi State Branch from 1996 to 1998 and was elected Deputy National Secretary of the Democratic People's Party in 1997.

He was appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC and served in Kogi, Delta, Plateau, and Rivers States between 1999 and 2003.

In 2003, he was promoted to National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Legal Services and supervised Borno, Jigawa, and Yobe states.

He retired from INEC in 2008 and returned to legal practice as Managing Partner of M.A. Abubakar & Co. (Fortuna Chambers), with offices in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Bauchi State.

In June 2013, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar was appointed a member of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

On 11 April 2015, he was elected Governor of Bauchi State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the 2019 Election, he lost to the PDP’s Bala Mohammed, becoming the first governor in Bauchi to not win reelection.

Barrister Abubakar is married with children. He is an avid supporter of football clubs Manchester United and Wikki Tourists.