Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi became a popular name within the Kano political class especially around 2007 when he contested for governorship election in the state.
Born in 1964 in Bichi town, Bichi Local Government Area of Kano state. Bichi attended his primary school in Bichi town and later Government Secondary School Gwarzo, Kano State and obtained the West African Senior Certificate (WASC) in 1983.
In 1990 he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Agricultural Mechanization from the Kaduna State Polytechnic. He also obtained an MBA certificate in 1999 from the famous Bayero University, Kano.
Daily Telescope gathered that Bichi worked at Kano State Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA) from 1986 to 1988. He also worked at Bichi Local Government from 1993-1994 and later served as Deputy Head of Department at Rimin Gado Local Government Area.
Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi also served as Managing Director of the Kano Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO) before he joined the governorship race in 2007.
Bichi contested for the seat on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and competed with then Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).
However, Bichi was defeated by Shekarau with 671,184 votes as against 629,868 during the 2007 general elections. While the latter contested for the second term, the former raced for a first tenure.
Unsatisfied with the declared results and the outcome of the election that saw Shekarau victorious, Bichi alongside his deputy Engr. Abubakar Jibrin
Mohammed and their party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) filed a petition before the Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Tribunal, Kano on the 14th May 2007.
The petitioners based their suite on the following grounds: that the 1st respondent was at the time of the election disqualified from contesting the election, that the election is invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act, 2006 and Corrupt Practices which substantially affected the outcome of the election alternatively.
That the 1st respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election and did not score one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the Local Government Areas in Kano State.
The petitioners also prayed for the following reliefs; that the gubernatorial elections held in Kano State on the 14th April, 2007 be declared null and void and of no legal effect whatsoever and that the purported declaration and return of the 1st respondent by the 4th and 5th respondents as the winner of the said election be set aside.
They also prayed for an order for fresh gubernatorial elections to be conducted in Kano State for the election of the Governor of Kano State and for such further or other order(s) as the honorable tribunal may deem fit and just to make or grant in the circumstances.”
He was also made minister of state for Commerce and Industry in 2007 by late President Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua. However, he was relieved alongside 19 other ministers by the president in a cabinet reshuffle in October 2008.
Daily Telescope recalled that during the 2015 political season, Bichi contested for the House of Representatives and won the race to represent Bichi Federal Constituency at the Green Chamber from 2015 to 2019.
During the 2019 general elections, Bichi contested for senator (Kano North Senatorial District) under PDP but was defeated by the incumbent Senator, Barau Jibril of the APCP.
The outcome of the elections, Daily Telescope recalled, indicated that Senator Barau Jibrin of the APC scored 286,419 to beat the PDP candidate Ahmed Garba Bichi who got 155,638 votes.
Daily Telescope observed that after the 2019 general elections, Bichi apparently stopped frequenting political gatherings in Kano or partaking in political programmes being aired by many FM radio stations in the state. He, rather, relocated most of his activities to Abuja.
