Former Kogi Governor Ibrahim Idris Dies at 77

Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has died at the age of 77.

Idris died on Sunday in a hospital in the United Kingdom, where he had gone for medical treatment.

The Kogi State Government confirmed his death in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo expressed deep sorrow over the death, describing it as a loss to Kogi State and Nigeria.

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Ododo, who visited the deceased’s residence in Abuja, commiserated with the Idris family and said the state had lost a former governor who devoted a significant part of his life to public service.

The governor declared a state burial for Idris and directed the state government to take responsibility for the burial expenses and make arrangements to honour him as a former governor.

He also declared three days of mourning and directed that the national and Kogi State flags be flown at half-mast across government offices and public institutions during the period.

According to Ododo, the Idris administration recorded interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare and other sectors, which he said formed part of the developmental history of Kogi State.

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“Beyond the projects and policies associated with his administration, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris would be remembered as a public servant who committed himself to the responsibilities entrusted to him by the people,” Ododo said.

Idris became governor of Kogi State on May 29, 2003, after winning the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He won re-election in 2007, but the result was later annulled following a legal challenge over the exclusion of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate, Abubakar Audu.

The Court of Appeal subsequently ordered a fresh election, while Clarence Olafemi, then Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, briefly served as acting governor.

Idris won the March 29, 2008 rerun and returned to office.

A subsequent legal dispute centred on whether he was entitled to another four-year term from the date of the rerun. In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that his earlier period in office counted toward his constitutional tenure.

He left office in January 2012 and was succeeded by Captain Idris Wada, who had won the December 2011 governorship election.

Idris therefore served as governor for nearly nine years, from May 2003 to January 2012.

Popularly known as “Ibro,” he was born in 1949 at Icheke in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State and built a business career before entering partisan politics.