List of governors of Adamawa State
| Governor of Adamawa State | |
|---|---|
Seal of Adamawa State of Nigeria | |
Flag of Adamawa State of Nigeria | |
since 29 May 2019 | |
| Government of Adamawa State | |
| Style |
|
| Member of | Executive Council of Adamawa State[2] |
| Reports to | President of Nigeria |
| Seat | Yola |
| Appointer | Popular vote[2] |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively[2] |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Nigeria |
| Inaugural holder | Abubakar Saleh Michika |
| Formation | January 1992 |
| Deputy | Deputy governor of Adamawa State |
| Website | adamawastate |

Adamawa State, located in the North East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, has been governed by a succession of military governors, administrators, acting governors, and elected governors since its creation on 27 August 1991. Before 1991, the area formed the northern portion of the former Gongola State, with Yola serving as the capital. When the military government of Ibrahim Babangida split Gongola into Adamawa and Taraba states, the last military governor of Gongola, Abubakar Salihu, continued briefly as Adamawa's first military governor until the inauguration of civilian rule in January 1992. During the short-lived Third Republic, Abubakar Saleh Michika of the National Republican Convention (NRC) became the first elected civilian governor of Adamawa State, serving from 2 January 1992 until the November 1993 coup. Military rule then returned, and the state was administered successively by Gregory Agboneni (1993–1994), Mustapha Ismail (1994–1996), Joe Kalu-Igboama (1996–1998), and Ahmadu Hussaini (1998–1999).
With the advent of the Fourth Republic in May 1999, all of Adamawa's heads of government have emerged through electoral processes or constitutional succession. Boni Haruna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), originally elected deputy governor on a ticket headed by Atiku Abubakar, became governor when Atiku was chosen as Nigeria's vice-president. Haruna served until 2007, when he was succeeded by Murtala Nyako. Nyako's governorship was interrupted by the annulment of his 2007 election, leading to the brief acting governorship of James Shaibu Barka from February to April 2008, before Nyako returned after winning the by-election. Nyako was later impeached in July 2014, after which Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri briefly served as acting governor until a court restored Nyako's deputy, Bala James Ngilari, as substantive governor in October 2014. Since 2015, the state has been governed by Bindo Jibrilla (2015–2019) and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (2019–present).
List of governors
[edit source]Gongola State
[edit source]Gongola State was created on 3 February 1976 during the nationwide state-creation exercise of the military government of Murtala Mohammed. It incorporated the former Adamawa and Sardauna provinces of North-Eastern State and the Wukari Division of Benue-Plateau State, with Yola as its capital.[3][4] The state existed until 27 August 1991, when it was divided into the present-day Adamawa and Taraba states.[4]
The first military governor of Gongola State was Mohammed Jega, who served from March 1976 to July 1978. He was succeeded by Abdul Rahman Mamudu, who remained in office until the restoration of civilian rule in October 1979.[5] During the Second Republic, Abubakar Barde of the Great Nigeria People's Party (GNPP) became the state's first elected civilian governor.[6] Barde's deputy, Wilberforce Juta, became governor on 6 May 1983 and served until 30 September 1983.[7] Bamanga Tukur of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) then became governor after winning the 1983 gubernatorial election, but his tenure ended with the December 1983 coup.[8] Military rule resumed in January 1984, with Jega returning as military governor until August 1985. He was followed by Yohanna Madaki (1985–1986), Jonah David Jang (1986–1987), Isa Mohammed (1987–1989), and Abubakar Salihu (1989–1992).[5] Salihu was the final governor of Gongola State and remained in office when the state was replaced by Adamawa and Taraba states in August 1991.[9]
Adamawa State
[edit source]Adamawa State was officially created on 27 August 1991 when the military government of Ibrahim Babangida divided the former Gongola State into Adamawa and Taraba states. Yola, which had served as the capital of Gongola State, became the capital of the new Adamawa State. The last military governor of Gongola, Abubakar Salihu, continued briefly as Adamawa's first military governor until the inauguration of the Third Republic in January 1992.[9][4] During the Third Republic, Abubakar Saleh Michika of the National Republican Convention (NRC) served as the state's first civilian governor from 2 January 1992 until the military coup of November 1993. After the coup, the state was governed by a succession of military administrators: Gregory Agboneni (1993–1994), Mustapha Ismail (1994–1996), Joe Kalu-Igboama (1996–1998), and Ahmadu Hussaini (1998–1999).[9][10]
With the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999, Boni Haruna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) became governor after the governor-elect, Atiku Abubakar, was selected as vice-president of Nigeria. Haruna served two terms from 1999 to 2007.[9] He was succeeded by Murtala Nyako, whose 2007 election was annulled in 2008, leading to the brief acting governorship of James Shaibu Barka. Nyako returned after winning the by-election and remained in office until his impeachment on 15 July 2014.[9][11] Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, then Speaker of the State House of Assembly, served briefly as acting governor until a Federal High Court ruled that Nyako's deputy, Bala James Ngilari, had not validly resigned and should have been sworn in as governor.[11] Since then, Adamawa has been governed by Bindo Jibrilla (2015–2019) and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (2019–present).[12][13]
| Governor | Term in office[a] | Party | Election | D. Governor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abubakar Salihu | 27 August 1991 – 2 January 1992 [9] |
Military governor | — | Office did not exist | ||
| — | Abubakar Saleh Michika (b. 1941, d. 2018) [14] |
2 January 1992 – 17 November 1993 [14] |
NRC [15][9] |
1991 [16] |
Lynn Nathan [16] | |
| — | Gregory Agboneni | 9 December 1993 – 14 September 1994 [9] |
Military administrator | — | Office abolished | |
| — | Mustapha Ismail | 14 September 1994 – August 1996 [9] | ||||
| — | Joe Kalu-Igboama | August 1996 – August 1998 [9] | ||||
| — | Ahmadu Hussaini | August 1998 – 29 May 1999 [9] | ||||
| — | Boni Haruna [b] |
29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 [9][17][17] |
PDP [9] |
1999 2003 [9] |
Bello Mohammed Tukur [18] | |
| — | Murtala Nyako | 29 May 2007 – 26 February 2008 [9] |
PDP [19] |
2007 2008 [19] |
Bala James Ngilari [20] | |
| — | James Shaibu Barka | 26 February 2008 – 29 April 2008 [9] |
Acting governor | — | — | |
| — | Murtala Nyako | 29 April 2008 – 15 July 2014 [20] |
PDP [19][20] |
2012 [21] |
Bala James Ngilari [20] | |
| Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (b. 1967) [22] |
15 July 2014 – 8 October 2014 [23][11] |
Acting governor | — | — | ||
| — | Bala James Ngilari | 8 October 2014 – 29 May 2015 [20] |
PDP [20] |
— | — | |
| — | Bindo Jibrilla | 29 May 2015 – 29 May 2019 [13] |
APC [13] |
2015 [24] |
Martins Babale [25] | |
| Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (b. 1967) [22] |
29 May 2019 – Incumbent [12] |
PDP [c][12] |
2019 2023 [12][27] |
Kaletapwa Farauta [28] | ||
| APC (from February 2026) [12] | ||||||
See also
[edit source]Explanatory notes
[edit source]- ↑ For elected governors, the date of inauguration is listed.
- ↑ Haruna was elected deputy governor on a ticket headed by Atiku Abubakar and became governor after Atiku was chosen as vice-president.[9]
- ↑ Fintiri was elected and re-elected on the platform of the PDP, but defected to the APC in February 2026.[26]
References
[edit source]Citations
[edit source]- ↑ Akinpelu, Olusegun (17 December 2019). "From His Excellency to Mr Governor". This Day. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- 1 2 3 Article VI, Section II, Constitution of Nigeria, 1999
- ↑ Bashir 2003, pp. 65–67.
- 1 2 3 Falola & Genova 2009, pp. 12, 141.
- 1 2 Graça 2017, p. 639.
- ↑ Joseph 1981, p. 22.
- ↑ Alao 2020.
- ↑ The Nation 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Oke 2012.
- ↑ Graça 2017, p. 639–640.
- 1 2 3 Tukur 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Premium Times 2021.
- 1 2 3 Ochetenwu 2025.
- 1 2 Shibayan 2018.
- ↑ Fulani 2018.
- 1 2 Teniola 2021.
- 1 2 Abdullahi 2023.
- ↑ Lazarus & Muhammad 2010.
- 1 2 3 Mac-Leva 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tukur 2017.
- ↑ Channels Television 2012.
- 1 2 The Guardian 2019.
- ↑ George 2014.
- ↑ Fulani 2015.
- ↑ Premium Times 2017.
- ↑ Ogundapo 2026.
- ↑ Oluwafemi 2023.
- ↑ Ajumobi 2023.
Works cited
[edit source]- Books and journals
- Bashir, A. (2003). "Regional planning and urban infrastructure development in the Gongola region, North Eastern Nigeria (1)". Global Journal of Social Sciences. 2 (1). doi:10.4314/gjss.v2i1.22768. ISSN 1596-6216. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Falola, Toyin; Genova, Ann (2009). Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5615-8.
- Graça, J. Da (13 February 2017). Heads of State and Government. Springer. ISBN 978-1-349-65771-1. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- Joseph, Richard A. (1981). "The Ethnic Trap: Notes on the Nigerian Campaign and Elections, 1978-79". Issue: A Journal of Opinion. 11 (1/2). Cambridge University Press: 17–23. doi:10.2307/1166229. ISSN 0047-1607. JSTOR 1166229. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- News
- Abdullahi, Maryam (14 July 2023). "Where are they now? 10 dead, many convicted… how Class of '99 governors ended up". TheCable. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Ajumobi, Kemi (2 June 2023). "Kaletapwa G. Farauta: Deputy Governor, Adamawa state". BusinessDay. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Alao, Onimisi (30 August 2020). "Adamawa, Taraba bury ex-Gov Wilberforce Juta". The Nation. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- "Babale assumes office as Adamawa acting governor". Premium Times. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Fulani, Iro Dan (13 April 2015). "INEC declares APC's Bindow winner of Adamawa governorship poll". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Fulani, Iro Dan (11 March 2018). "Updated: Ex-Adamawa Governor Abubakar Michika is dead". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- George, Taiwo (9 October 2014). "Fintiri 'returns' as Adamawa assembly speaker". TheCable. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- "Good luck for him, bad luck for PDP". The Nation. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Lazarus, Sule; Muhammad, Ibrahim (17 October 2010). "Adamawa 2011: Nyako's own men move against him". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Mac-Leva, Fidelis (5 November 2017). "Where is ex-Governor Murtala Nyako?". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- "Nyako wins Adamawa governorship election". Channels Television. 5 February 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Ochetenwu, Jim (28 July 2025). "Ex-Adamawa Governor, Bindow joins ADC". Daily Post. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Ogundapo, Abdulqudus (27 February 2026). "PDP reacts to Fintiri's defection, says governor is a "coward"". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Oke, Gbenga (4 February 2012). "Adamawa's past men of power". Vanguard. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Oluwafemi, Ayodele (18 April 2023). "Fintiri defeats Binani to win drama-filled Adamawa governorship election". TheCable. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Shibayan, Dyepkazah (11 March 2018). "First civilian governor of Adamawa, Michika, is dead". TheCable. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Teniola, Eric (10 August 2021). "The cross Babangida still carries at 80". TheCable. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Tukur, Sani (8 October 2014). "Abuja Court stops Adamawa election, orders Nyako's deputy, Ngilari to be sworn in". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- Tukur, Sani (28 March 2017). "From lawyer to prisoner, rise and fall of ex-Adamawa governor, Ngilari". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- "PDP declared winner of Adamawa governorship election". The Guardian. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- "Profile: Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Governor, Adamawa State, Nigeria [2019 — ]". Premium Times. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2026.