Rimi was an independent candidate in the Federal Parlimantery elections for Sumaila Constituency in 1964 while Musa Said Abubakar was the NEPU Federal Parlimantary candidate for Sumaila Constituency they contested against Alhaji Inuwa Wada of the NPC but they all withdrew for Alhaji Inuwa Wada when they were jailed. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly. In December 1978, he was elected the PRP's Deputy National secretary at the party's first national convention in Lagos. He was a PRP candidate in the 1979 General elections. Rimi was elected governor of the old Kano State on the platform of PRP during Nigerian Second Republic, a post he occupied from October 1979 – May 1983.
Governor of Kano
His cabinet was termed the "All Graduate Cabinet". Alhaji Sule Hamma was appointed the SSG, Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila was Secretary of the Executive Council and Principal Secretary to the Governor, later serving as Rimi's Campaign Manager in the 1983 elections, Tijjani Indabawa was his Principal Private Secretary and Sully Abu was Press Secretary to the Governor. He was said to be a liberal influence, promoting adult literacy and encouraging women to emerge from Purdah. He abolished the unpopular haraji and jangali, relics of the colonial period when the British governed through the emirs in the North. In 1980, he declared an annual worker's day. His suspension of the Emir of Kano led to riots in July 1981, followed by the killing of Rimi's political advisor Dr. Bala Mohammed. During the upheavals the offices of Triumph Newspapers, Radio Kano and several ministries were burned down. In May 1983, Rimi fell out with his mentor Aminu Kano and moved from the People's Redemption Party to the Nigerian People's Party in preparation for the 1983 elections. He resigned from office and was replaced as governor by his deputy, Abdu Dawakin Tofa.
Later career
In 1993, Rimi accepted his appintment as Chairman of the Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank under the General Ibrahim Babangida administration. During the transition to the Nigerian Third Republic, Rimi was a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party and one of the early supporters of the June 12 movement opposed to the annulment of the election of MKO Abiola. He later left the June 12 movement, and became a Minister of Communications under the General Sani Abacha administration. He was one of the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was the Chairman of the Finance committee of the Party at its inception and also one of its presidential candidates. He was appointed Chairman of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company in the first tenure of Obasanjo as a Civilian President. He later moved to the Action Congress, but in 2007 Rimi returned to the . In December 2008, he called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,, Professor Maurice Iwu, to resign from office, citing irregularities in the previous presidential election. In January 2006, his wife was killed at his home. His son was among those charged for the murder, but was later released due to lack of evidence and one of his nephew, Mustapha is still under arrest.
Death
On April 4, 2010, Rimi was attacked by armed robbers while returning to Kano from Bauchi State. Although unharmed, he seemed to have suffered a massive stroke and died shortly thereafter.
