Later in his career, he would receive a bachelor's degree in religious law from an institute in Pekanbaru (1995), and a masters in public administration from Satyagama University [id] in Jakarta (2001).

[1] Abubakar ran as the running mate to Rusli Zainal in the 2003 gubernatorial contest, with the support of PPP and the National Mandate Party, and the pair was elected in a surprise win against incumbent Saleh Djasit.

[4] When the end of their first term was nearing, the pair did not run as a joint ticket, as Abubakar and Zainal had poor relations in office.

[5] In one occasion, Abubakar had criticized Zainal's decision to construct a monument commemorating his father-in-law, Ismail Suko, paid for from the provincial budget.

[9] Despite this, he attempted to run as an independent candidate, but eventually failed to collect enough endorsements and his candidacy was disqualified by the General Elections Commission.