Waziri Aminu Tambuwal

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (born 10 January 1966) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who has served as Senator for Sokoto South since 2023. He served as the governor of Sokoto State from 2015 to 2023. He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and served as the 12th Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria from 2011 to 2015. Tambuwal represented the Tambuwal/Kebbe Federal Constituency of Sokoto State as an honorable member in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2015.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was born on 10 January 1966, in Tambuwal Village in Sokoto State, to Fatima and Waziri Tambuwal. He attended Tambuwal Primary School, Tambuwal, Sokoto State, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1979; and Government Teachers' College, Dogon-Daji, where he obtained the Teachers Grade II Certificate in 1984. He then proceeded to Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, where he studied Law, graduating with an LLB (Hons) degree in 1991. He completed his one-year compulsory legal studies at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, obtained his BL, and was called to the Bar in 1992.

Besides studying for his law degree, he attended several courses abroad, including: Telecoms Regulatory Master Class in Bath, UK (2004); Lawmaking for the Communications Sectors in Johannesburg, South Africa (2004); Regulating a Competitive Industry in Brussels (2005); Tulane University’s International Legislative Drafting (2005); Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Influence and Negotiation (2008); and KSG Harvard’s Infrastructure in Market Economy. He started learning legislative processes from 1999 to 2000, working as a Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to Senator Abdullahi Wali, then Senate Leader.

In 2003, Tambuwal contested for a legislative seat as representative of the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency and was elected into the House of Representatives on the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) platform. He defected to the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in 2007 but later returned to ANPP before switching to PDP again after Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko’s defection. He held several offices in the House, including Minority Leader (2005) and Deputy Chief Whip (2007). He was part of committees like Rules & Business, Communications, Judiciary, Inter-Parliamentary, and Water Resources. He chaired the ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review and served on committees reviewing power, land use, and other bills.

Tambuwal was a member of the Nigerian delegation to the African, Caribbean, Pacific & European Union Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU) and served as vice-chairman of the Economic Committee in Prague, Czech Republic (April 2009). On 28 October 2014, he formally defected from PDP to the opposition APC, leading to his security details being withdrawn by the Inspector General of Police, which was criticized. He was re-elected Governor of Sokoto State in the 2015 election, inaugurated on 29 May 2015. On 4 July 2018, he dissolved the State Executive Council and later returned to PDP.

In the March 2019 Sokoto State gubernatorial election, Tambuwal was reelected with 512,020 votes, defeating APC’s Aliyu with 511,660 votes. He declared in 2018 that he was running for president to revive Nigeria’s economy, though he finished second in the PDP presidential primary, receiving 693 delegate votes behind Atiku Abubakar. His candidacy was influenced by support from Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who reportedly sought to make him vice-presidential candidate.

During his eight years as Governor, Tambuwal’s administration faced allegations of corruption, including the EFCC’s 2022 revelation of 189 billion naira looted from state funds and 2025 claims of unaccounted 16.1 billion naira from the Sokoto Investment Company. Despite this, his administration implemented major infrastructure projects, including over 100 km of roads, 250 primary healthcare centers, and upgrades to hospitals and schools. He launched large-scale youth and women empowerment programs, including skills training, microgrants, and soft loans for traders.

Tambuwal’s administration prioritized education, increasing budget allocations, creating a girl child education agency, and renovating over 1,500 primary and 180 junior secondary schools. In agriculture, he distributed tractors, fertilizers, and secured CBN intervention funds for farmers. The government also improved power supply with the completion of the Kalambaina Independent Power Project and secured partnerships with Dangote Rice Mill and Morocco Fertilizers. Security improvements included establishing a Tenancy Regulatory Commission and providing vehicles/logistics to security agencies.

His governance was recognized with awards such as the African Union Economic and Social Council Award, African Confers Governance Awards, Silverbird’s 2019 Man of the Year Award, and World Bank Award of Excellence. Tambuwal also holds honorary doctorates from Usman Danfodio University, Achievers University, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, and Godfrey Okoye Catholic University. He has been a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and international legal bodies like the International Bar Association and American Bar Association.

Tambuwal has been honored with titles such as Matawallen of Sokoto, Osagie of Opoji Kingdom (Edo State), Obong Ufam of Akwa-Ibom State, and others from various Nigerian kingdoms. He has been actively involved in legal and political organizations, including NBA’s Public Relations Officer, Constitution Review Committee, and Assistant National Financial Secretary.