What readily comes to mind at the mention of Hon. Suleiman AbdulRahman Kawu is the dramatic brevity with which he scaled the fence in protest against the illegal locking out of National Assembly members last year. That action, though criticized by some people, endeared him to many others as a man who knows his rights and could not be trampled upon. He is also said to have fought alongside the leadership of the house to stand against former President Jonathan’s abuse of power.
It was, therefore, not surprising to many when he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as his senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives). A three-term member of the House of Representatives who also held the position of Deputy Minority Leader of the 6th and 7th House of Representatives, Kawu is described as a consistent and fearless opposition leader who spoke out his mind not minding whose ox was gored. A member of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT) Kawu was also a member of the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Council.
Mohammed Isa Funtua, former media aide to erstwhile Speaker Aminu Tambuwal described Honourabe Suleiman A. Kawu as a fearless and consistent politician whose loyalty is total. As someone who was close to former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano state, Kawu, who is a founding member of the APC, refused to defect to the PDP along with Shekarau.
For Suleiman Kawu, his practical wealth of experience on legislative business which saw him serving on so many ad-hoc committees is a variable factor that could prepare him for the task ahead. Speaking with Daily Trust on Sunday via telephone Kawu said: “My close association with former Speaker Tambuwal coupled with my working relationship with most of the returning PDP members would assist me in stabilizing the House.”
Suleiman AbdulRahaman Kawu Sumaila was born on 3 March 1968 in Kano state. He attended several Islamic schools at his early age. Later he joined the Bayero University Kano, and studied for a Bachelor’s of Arts in Islamic Studies at the National Open University of Nigeria. He also attended several courses at Harvard in the US and Oxford and Cambridge in the UK.
His foray into politics commenced in 1991 when he was a member of the Peoples Democratic Movement which later merged with some other political groups to transform into what is now known as the People’s Democratic Party. During the late Sani Abacha’s regime Kawu was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). He made an unsuccessful attempt for a seat in the Kano State House of Assembly on the platform of the PDP in 1999.
In 2003 Kawu defected to All Nigeria Peoples Party and successfully contested as member of House of Representatives. After his re-election into the lower chamber he became the Deputy Minority Leader in 2007, a position he retained after he was re-elected into the House in 2011.
