Atiku Bagudu was born December 26, 1961. His father was the director of Primary Education in Kebbi. He obtained a BSc (Economics), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Msc (Economics) University of Jos and M.A. (International Affairs). He was elected Senator in the National Assembly for the Kebbi Central constituency of Kebbi State, Nigeria in a by-election after Senator Adamu Aliero was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in December 2008. He successfully ran for reelection in the April 2011 national elections under the platform of People's Democratic Party (PDP). As a senator, he was a member of the Senate Committee on Education (6th National Assembly), Foreign Affairs Committee and Interior Affairs Committee. He became the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate for Kebbi state in the 2015 general elections and was sworn in as the governor on May 29, 2015