By Kemi Ogunsola
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, current Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari is one Nigerian politician that has seen it all from the Green chamber to the Katsina State Government House.
Masari could be best described as a negotiator and bridge builder particularly the manner he recently managed security matters in his home state, Katsina.
He epitomises humility of the highest order believing in the principle of first among equals as speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003-2007.
No speaker of the Green Chamber in Nigeria has equalled his ability to attend to individual and political affairs of his members.
No matter the distance, Masari attends functions of members across Nigeria building bridges of friendship.
As an active committee member on Water Resources, Members of his Committee after seeing how he conducted himself as their colleague had no choice than to openly campaign for him to emerge as speaker in 2003.
As speaker, Masari openly canvassed against third term agenda.
It’s on record that Masari remains the only speaker who hired apartments to harbour all his aides.
He is one politician that has held political offices at both the local and National levels without blemishes.
At the state level, Masari has maintained a cordial relationship with the three arms of government in the state.
He is one Governor that has remained glued to the state visiting Abuja only when it’s absolutely necessary.
Aminu Bello Masari (born 29 May 1950) is a Nigerian politician and current Governor of Katsina State. He was the speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007.
Masari contested for the office of Katsina State Governor in the 2011 election under the platform of defunct Congress for Progressive Change. He lost the Election to PDP’s Ibrahim Shehu Shema.
In December 2014 he emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the March 2015 elections.
Aminu Bello was declared winner of the 11th April 2015 Katsina State Governorship election, defeating Musa Nashuni.
Aminu Bello Masari was sworn in as the Executive Governor of Katsina State on 29 May 2015.
Aminu Bello Masari was elected for a second term as Governor of Katsina in the March 9, 2019 Katsina State gubernatorial election under the platform of All Progressives Congress having polled 1, 178, 864 votes against Peoples Democratic Party’s Senator Garba Yakubu Lado who had 488, 621 votes.
Kemi Ogunsola, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja
