Abdulfatah Ahmed is a Nigerian banker and public servant who was elected Governor of Kwara State

Kwara State

Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...

 in the 26 April 2011 elections, running on the People's Democratic Party

People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)

The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...

 (PDP) platform.

Background

Ahmed was born on 29 December 1963 in Share, Ifelodun

Ifelodun, Kwara State

Ifelodun is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Share.It has an area of 3,435 km² and a population of 206,042 at the 2006 census....

 Local Government Area of Kwara State.
He attended Government College Funtua, Katsina State

Katsina State

Katsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...

 (1973–1978) and the school of Basic Studies of Kwara State College of Technology (now Kwara State Polytechnic), Ilorin

Ilorin

Ilorin is one of the largest cities in Nigeria and is the capital of Kwara State. As of 2007 it had a population of 847,582.-History:Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450...

 (1978–1980). He went on to the University of Ilorin

University of Ilorin

The University of Ilorin, sometimes known as Unilorin, is a university in Ilorin, Nigeria.It was established by a decree of the Federal Military Government in 1975 and is a federal government owned tertiary institution of education located in Ilorin, Kwara State, north central Nigeria...

 where he earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry (1986) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA, 1992).

He was a lecturer in Organic Chemistry and later Acting Head of Department at Federal College of Arts and Science, Sokoto

Sokoto

Sokoto is a city located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of 427,760...

, in Sokoto State

Sokoto State

Sokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...

 (1986–1990).
He became an Assistant Manager at District Savings and Loans, Lagos (1991–1993).
In 1993, he started work with Guaranty Trust Bank in the Credit and Marketing Unit.
In 1998, he moved to Societe Generale Bank Nigeria as a Senior Manager/Group Head, Consumer Banking.
Later he became Public sector Group for the North West region.

Political career

Ahmed was appointed Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development at the start of Abubakar Bukola Saraki's Kwara State Administration (2003–2009). He then became Commissioner of the newly created Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
During this period, Ahmed was also Treasurer of the forum of Commissioners of Finance in Nigeria for six years, and Chairman, Budget Formulation Committee and Economic Team of Kwara State.
He was appointed a member of board of directors of the International Aviation College, Ilorin, Chairman of the Millennium Development Goals implementation committee and Chairman of Shonga Farms Holdings Ltd.

In the PDP primaries, Ahmed won 695 votes, defeating Chief Bashir Omoloja Bolarinwa (39 votes) and Alhaji Yekinni Alabi (9 votes).
In the 26 April 2011 elections, Ahmed won 254,969 votes. The runner-up, Dele Belgore of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) scored 152,580 votes.