Career
He was appointed to the Comptroller General position by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 27, 2015. As governor, in October 1997 he sacked about 30,000 striking civil servants in Kaduna State, and detained 18 local government chairmen. A journalist who reported on the sackings was allegedly arrested, severely beaten, then taken to the Government House and further tortured.
The story published in Tempo Magazine was entitled “Goodbye Justice”.
The story was later discredited and proven to be false. After retirement, he became Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, a northerm lobbying group, and a supporter of Major General Muhammadu Buhari in his bid to run for president
In June 2006 Ali stated that the North would regain the presidency in 2007. He supported Vice President Atiku Abubakar"s comments to the effect that president Olusegun Obasanjo would honour his pledge to vacate office in 2007.