[2] In January 2011, Girei was a contender to be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Adamawa Central Senatorial District in the 2011 elections, but came third in the primaries.
Alhaji Bello Tukur, former chief of staff to Governor Murtala Nyako, was declared winner.
He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Real Estate Developer and a Construction Management Consultant.
Senator Abubakar Girei has also served on the boards of numerous public and private companies as well as Tertiary Institutions.
Senator Abubakar Girei is a major stakeholder in the People’s Democratic Party, Adamawa State and the North East Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria.