SANI, Senator Ahmed Yerima

of Budget in the Ministry of Finance, holding this position until the creation of Zamfara State in October 1996. He was then appointed Director-General of Lands and Housing, later becoming Permanent Secretary in the same department. In September 1998 he left the civil service to follow a political career. Ahmed Rufai Sani Yarima was elected governor of Zamfara State in 1999. He was re-elected in 2003 for a second term, which ended on 29 May 2007. Yarima was the first Nigerian Governor to implement Sharia law in his state, which came into effect on 27 January 2000. Zamfara's law adopted Sharia in its entirety, with the exceptions that apostasy was not criminalised and all sentences can be appealed to Nigeria's Federal Courts, which do not permit traditional Hudud punishments. Yarima was elected Senator representing Zamfara West constituency for the All Nigeria People's Party in April 2007. He was appointed to committees on Selection, Federal Character & Inter-Government Affairs, Drugs Narcotics Anti Corruption and Agriculture. Ahmed Sani Yerima ran again in the 9 April 2011 elections for Senator for Zamfara West on the ANPP platform. He is currently Senator representing Zamfara West in the Nigerian Senate under All Progressive Congress (APC)