Syamsuar was born on 8 June 1954 in the village of Jumrah, today in Rimba Melintang district of Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau, as the second son of Wahi Abdullah and Rahimah.

While in Bengkalis, he went to a government academy, being accepted as a civil servant in 1987 and later obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1990 from the University of North Sumatra.

[1] He took part in Siak regency's election again in 2011, this time winning with 38 percent of the votes (in a four-candidate race).

[4] In 2017, Syamsuar mandated the wearing on Thursdays of Tanjak, a traditional Malay headwear, for civil servants in order to popularize its use.

[11] On 3 November 2023, Syamsuar officially resigned from his governorship in order to run for a seat in the House of Representatives in the 2024 legislative election.