Umaru Musa Yar'Adua GCFR was born on August 16, 1951 in Kastina State. He was a Nigerian politician who was the president of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010.

He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on April 2, 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007.

He previously served as the governor of Kastina State from 1999 to 2007; and was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Yar’Adua married Turai Yar’Adua of Kastina state in 1975; they had seven children (five daughters and two sons) and several grandchildren.

Yar'Adua was also married to Hauwa Umar Radda from 1992 to 1997, and they had two children.

He started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962. He attended the Government College at Keffi from 1965 until 1969. In 1971 he received a Higher School Certificate from Barewa College. He attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria from 1972 to 1975, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Education and Chemistry, and then returned in 1978 to pursue a master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry.

Between 16–17 December 2006, Yar'Adua was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party for the April 2007 election, receiving 3,024 votes from party delegates; his closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received 372 votes. Yar'Adua's success in the primary election was attributed to the support of incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Shortly after his nomination, Yar'Adua chose Goodluck Jonathan, governor of Bayelsa state, as his vice-presidential candidate.

In the presidential election held on 21 April 2007, Yar'Adua won 70% of the votes (24.6 million votes) according to official results released on 23 April.

In 2009, Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis. He returned to Nigeria on 24 February 2010, but died on 5 May.

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