Kawu Suleiman Abdurrahaman

Suleiman Abdurrahaman also known as Kawu Sumaila (OFR) (born 3 March 1968) is a Nigerian politician, businessman, and former Senior Special Assistant to President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly House of Representatives Matters. He is the Senator representing the Kano South Senatorial District at the 10th Nigerian National Assembly under the All Progressive Congress Party (APC).

He served three terms in the Nigerian House of Representatives and was the Deputy Minority Leader of the 6th and 7th Houses of Representatives. He was a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and sat on the board of trustees, National Caucus, and NEC, as well as the central merger committee that founded the APC. He subsequently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after clashing issues with NNPP stakeholders in Kano due to his close relationship with President Bola Tinubu.

Kawu Sumaila was born on 3 March 1968 in Sumaila Village in Kano State to Alhaji Abdurrahaman Tadu and Hajiya Maryam Muhammad. He attended Sumaila Gabas Primary School, Sumaila, in Kano State, where he obtained his first School Leaving Certificate in 1976 and Sumaila Secondary School, Sumaila, where he obtained his Secondary School Leaving Certificate in 1988.

He proceeded to Bayero University Kano (BUK), where he obtained a Diploma in Educational Management and an Advanced Diploma in Educational Management. He studied at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies. He also studied at the Nigerian Defence Academy, obtaining a Master’s in Leadership Studies, and at Bayero University Kano (BUK), where he obtained a Master’s in Development Studies.

Kawu possesses a Master’s degree in Political Science from Maryam Abacha American University (MAAU), Niger Republic, and a PhD in Political Science from Al-Qalam University Katsina. He attended short courses and obtained certificates at Harvard University (US), Oxford University (UK), Cambridge University (UK), and Bayero University (Kano).

Hon Kawu Sumaila was appointed as a member of the Kano State Library Board, Coordinator of National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), and Chairman of the Local Government Monitoring Committee of NAPEP in Sumaila Local Government Area (L.G.A.). He was appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sport Development in 2023 and is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream).

Kawu Sumaila joined politics in 1991. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), which later merged into the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He served as Deputy State Organizing Secretary and Kano State House of Assembly aspirant for PDM and PDP in 1995 and 1999. During the Sani Abacha transition, he was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

In 2003, he defected to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and contested as a member of the House of Representatives for Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency, serving in committees such as Water Resources, Interior, Information, Poverty Alleviation, and NEMA. He became the Deputy Minority Leader in 2007 after his re-election for the second term. In 2011, he was re-elected to the House and retained his position as Deputy Minority Leader. He served on the constitutional amendment committee between 2007–2011 and 2011–2015 and was a member of the Governing Council of the National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS).

After three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, he contested for the position of Executive Governor of Kano State under the All Progressive Congress (APC). In August 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters. He resigned to contest for the House of Representatives representing Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency under the APC in the 2019 Nigerian general election.

Kawu Sumaila has contributed to important legislative efforts, including amendments to Section 145 of the Constitution for power transfer to the Vice President and Deputy Governor, State Assembly financial autonomy, addressing extrajudicial killings in Maiduguri, improving Kano Airport conditions, managing illegal parking in Tafa Village, controlling cerebrovascular meningitis, setting time limits for election petitions, and managing FAAN recruitment and budget implementation issues.

He holds the Traditional Title of Turakin Sumaila, conferred by the late Dan Isan Kano, District Head of Sumaila in 2006. He was also conferred the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) in September 2012 by President Goodluck Jonathan.