His political career began from his secondary school days when in his final year, he was elected secretary of all major clubs and societies in the school among which are the Literary and Debating Society, Dancing Club and the Muslim Students Society (MSS).

At the  Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, his alma mater, the young Umaru Tanko Al-Makura was elected member of the Student Union Parliament, the Student Representative Assembly, etc. Before then, this adventurous and detribalized Nigerian from Nasarawa State was the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Students Union Government of the College of Education, Uyo. When the position of National Assistant Secretary of the then National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) the umbrella union of all Nigerian Students in tertiary institutions, was zoned to his school in Uyo, the amiable Umaru Tanko Almakura was unanimously selected to represent the school at the National Executive Committee of the NUNS.

In 1980, two years after he ventured into politics, Almakura emerged as the Youth Leader of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Plateau State and Nasarawa State. As NPN Youth Leader and in line with the party’s constitution, he automatically became a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the defunct NPN in the second republic.

Between 1990 – 92, he served as the State Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) party in the then Plateau State.

Umaru Tanko Almakura was the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State under the platform of APC elected in 2011 and 2015. He will be contesting to retain his current position as the senator of the FCT senatorial district in the 2023 election.