Ahmed Rufai Sani Yerima is a Former Governor and presently a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was born on July 22, 1960 in Anka Town in Zamfara State.
Ahmed Rufai Sani attended Sokoto College of Arts and Science and completed in 1978.
to obtain a B.Sc in Economics from Bayero University, Kano in 1982, and an Msc in 1987.
He worked in the Borno State Budget Department of the Governor's office and also taught at the Borno College of Basic Studies, As a Youth Corps member,
He began his career in 1983 as an economic planning officer in the Ministry of Finance in the Sokoto Civil Service. He thereafter worked with various Federal Government bodies, including the National Directorate of Employment from 1988 to 1990, and the Central Bank of Nigeria between 1990 and 1993.
In 1994, he returned to the Sokoto state civil service as the Director 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 pursue a career in Politics.
He was elected Governor of Zamfara State in 1999. He was re-elected in 2003 for a second term, which ended on 29 May 2007.
He is 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. However, some of the changes introduced affected all citizens of the state. The sale and consumption of alcohol and prostitution were subject to a state-wide ban.
Sharia implementation bodies were established in Zamfara, including the Council of Ulama, Hisbah Commission, Zakkat and Endowment Board, Sharia Research and Development Board, and the Preaching Commission.
He however made sure that all non-Muslims in Zamfara were able to choose civil law rather than Sharia law when faced with legal proceedings.
Ahmad Rufai Sani Yerima sought for the presidential ticket under the Platform of the ANPP in 2007 but withdrew from the contest at the party's 2007 national convention to back former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari as the ANPP candidate.
Ahmed Rufai Sani Yerima contested and was elected Senator representing Zamfara West constituency under the All Nigeria People's Party in April 2007.
Ahmed Rufai Sani Yerima ran again in the 9 April 2011 elections for Senator for Zamfara West on the ANPP platform. He was again reelected.
In 2015, under the Platform of the All Progressive Congress(APC) he again contested for the Senatorial seat and won to represent Zamfara West Senatorial District.
