Ex-Kogi Governor Ibrahim Idris Dies At 77

• Former Kogi State Governor Ibrahim Idris has died on Sunday in the United Kingdom at the age of 77. Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.

• Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and former Governor Yahaya Bello led other senior Kogi government officials to the late governor’s Abuja residence to condole with members of the Idris family following the news of his death.

• Idris governed Kogi State for nearly nine years, serving from May 2003 until January 2012. He won the governorship election in 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and returned to office after a fresh election in 2008.

• His death has prompted tributes from political leaders across Kogi State, including Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who described the former governor as a significant figure in the political history of Kogi State and the PDP.

September 20, () – Former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has died at the age of 77.

Idris reportedly died in the United Kingdom on Sunday, September 20, 2026, with news of his death prompting visits by political leaders and senior government officials to his Abuja residence.

Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo; former Governor Yahaya Bello; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdullahi Bello; and other senior government officials visited the residence to condole with the family.

Onogwu Muhammed, Special Adviser to Governor Ododo on Public Relations and Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Bello, disclosed the visit in a Facebook post on Sunday, accompanied by photographs of Ododo and Bello at the residence.

“Kogi State Governor, His Excellency Ahmed Usman Ododo; former Governor Yahaya Bello, CON; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Abdullahi Bello; and other top government officials have arrived at the Abuja residence of the late former Governor Ibrahim Idris, who passed away this afternoon”, he wrote.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, mourned the former governor, describing him as a significant figure in the political history of Kogi State and the PDP.

The circumstances surrounding the former governor’s death were not immediately clear.

Background

Born in 1949, Idris was a businessman before venturing fully into partisan Politics. He established the Ibro Trading Company and was involved in business interests spanning construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality.

His political career eventually took him to the centre of Kogi State Politics, where he emerged as one of the leading figures of the PDP.

Idris became governor of Kogi State in May 2003 after winning the governorship election on the platform of the PDP. He succeeded Prince Abubakar Audu and remained in office after the 2007 governorship election, although the outcome of that election became the subject of prolonged legal proceedings.

Following a court ruling nullifying the 2007 election, a fresh governorship election was conducted in 2008, which Idris won, enabling him to continue in office.

He eventually completed his tenure in January 2012 and was succeeded by Captain Idris Wada. His nearly nine-year tenure made him one of the longest-serving elected governors in the history of Kogi State.