Kalu was 38 and Ganjude is 70 — but what’s age got to do with it?

March 9, 2020 8:42 am

Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor of Kano state

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, recently said he would not support any governorship candidate older than him to be his successor in 2023.

Umahi, who is 56 years old, will be 59 by then.

He is not alone. A common refrain by many Nigerians when discussing political leadership in the country has been the “recycling of old, tired leaders without fresh ideas”.

So, a Not Too Young To Run Campaign “to reduce the age limit for running for elected office” was begun in May 2016.

On 31 May 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Not Too Young Run Bill into law, after it was passed by the national assembly and endorsed by 33 states — nine more than required for an amendment of the constitution.

In the law, the new minimum age limit to contest for the house of representatives is 25; previously, it was 30. The minimum age to contest for the senate was not amended, even as the bill had proposed 30. It remains 35.

The bill sought to reduce the age for contesting for state governorship from 35 to 30 but that did not happen: the status quo remains.

But the minimum age to become president was reduced from 40 to 35 and state assemblies from 30 to 25.

The jury is still out, whether “youthfulness” or “old age” has had much effect on performance, say, of governors.

TheCable has compiled the ages of elected state governors from 1999, for you to judge. In all cases, each age was calculated from the individual’s year of assumption of duty as governor.

Let’s have a discussion. In contributing, kindly state your overall assessment of your state governor in the periods indicated and, specifically, the difference they brought to governance or did not. There are several other deductions you can make from these tables.

Who, for instance, was the youngest governor between these periods and the oldest? Was the youngest the best or the worst? Or was the oldest? The balls are firmly in your court. Let’s play. No fouls, please. We’ve got VAR.

1999-2007/2011

Where there are no remarks, it means that the personalities served two straight terms.

S/N	State	Governor	Age	Remarks
1	Abia	Orji Uzor Kalu	38
2	Adamawa	Boni Haruna	42
3	Akwa Ibom	Victor Attah	61
4	Anambra	ChinwokeMbadinuju	54	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
4a	Anambra	Chris Ngige	51	Served from May 29, 2003 to March 17, 2006
4b	Anambra	Peter Obi	44	He became governor on March 17, 2006. He was impeached on November 2, 2006. After the impeachment was overturned, he was reinstated on February 9, 2007 and was in office till May 2007. He contested a fresh election on April 29, 2007 and was reinstated on June 14, 2007 after a court ruling that he should be allowed to complete a four-year term. He won a fresh election on February 6, 2010 and served a second term as governor.
4c	Anambra	Dame VirgyEtiaba	63	Became governor by virtue of the impeachment of Peter Obi who she was deputy governor to. Was in office from November 2, 2006-February 9, 2007. Has the record of being the only female governor in Nigeria.
5	Bauchi	Adamu Mu’azu	44
6	Bayelsa	Diepriye Alamieyeseigha	47	Was governor from May 29, 1999. Impeached on December 9, 2005.
6a	Bayelsa	Goodluck Jonathan	48	Was deputy to Diepriye Almieyeseigha. After the latter’s impeachment, he became governor on December 9, 2005 till May 29, 2007 when he became the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
7	Benue	George Akume	46
8	Borno	Mala Kachaila	58	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
8a	Borno	Ali Modu Sheriff	47	Served two terms; from May 29, 2003 till May 29, 2011.
9	Cross River	Donald Duke	38
10	Delta	James Ibori	40
11	Ebonyi	Sam Egwu	45
12	Edo	Lucky Igbinedion	41
13	Ekiti	Niyi Adebayo	40	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
13a	Ekiti	Ayo Fayose	43	In office from May 29, 2003 till October 16, 2006 when he was impeached.
13b	Ekiti	Segun Oni	53	He was in office from May 29, 2007 till October 15, 2010 when the Appeal Court annulled his election.
14	Enugu	Chimaroke Nnamani	39
15	Gombe	Abubakar Abu Hashidu	55	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
15a	Gombe	Mohammed Danjuma Goje	51	Served two terms from May 29, 2003 till May 29, 2011
16	Imo	AchikeUdenwa	51
17	Jigawa	Ibrahim Saminu Turaki	36
18	Kaduna	Ahmed Makarfi	43
19	Kano	Rabiu Kwankwaso	43	Two-time governor. Served from 1999-2003 and from 2011-2015.
19a	Kano	Ibrahim Shekarau	48	Served two terms from May 29, 2003 till May 29, 2011.
20	Katsina	Umaru Yar’Adua	48
21	Kebbi	Adamu Aliero	41
22	Kogi	Abubakar Audu	52	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
22a	Kogi	Ibrahim Idris	54	He became the State Governor on May 29, 2003. He was re-elected for a second term in April 2007, but that election was nullified because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was found to have wrongly excluded another candidate. In a repeat election held on March 29, 2008, he was returned as governor and he was in office till January 2011.
23	Kwara	Mohammed Lawal	53	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
23a	Kwara	Bukola Saraki	41	Served two terms from May 29, 2003 till May 29, 2011.
24	Lagos	Bola Tinubu	47
25	Nasarawa	Abdullahi Adamu	53
26	Niger	Abdulkadir Kure	43
27	Ogun	Olusegun Osoba	60	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
27a	Ogun	Gbenga Daniel	46	Served two terms from May 29, 2003 till May 29, 2011.
28	Ondo	Adebayo Adefarati	67	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
28a	Ondo	Olusegun Agagu	54	Got into office on May 29, 2003. But his second term from May 29, 2007 was aborted after a court voided it on the grounds of electoral irregularities. He left in February 2009.
29	Osun	Adebisi Akande	59	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
29a	Osun	Olagunsoye Oyinlola	51	Became governor on May 29, 2003. His second term in office from May 29, 2007 was truncated in 2010 by the Court of Appeal. He left on November 26, 2010. Advertisement
30	Oyo	Lam Adesina	59	Served only one term of four years; from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003.
30a	Oyo	Rasheed Ladoja	59	Became governor on May 29, 2003. He was impeached in January 2006. He was reinstated in December 2006 and ended the first term in May 29, 2007.
31	Plateau	Joshua Dariye	42	He assumed office on May 29, 1999. Was re-elected for a second term starting from May 29, 2003. He was impeached on November 13, 2006, but this was nullified by the Appeal Court in March 2007 and later upheld by the Supreme Court on April 27, 2007. His immediate reinstatement was ordered. He completed his tenure on May 29, 2007. He is currently serving a jail term for diverting about N1.126 billion Plateau Government’s Ecological Funds.
32	Rivers	Peter Odili	51
33	Sokoto	Attahiru Bafarawa	45
34	Taraba	Jolly Nyame	44	He had been governor of this State when he was 37 in January 1992 and was in office till November 1993. He became governor again on May 29, 1999 and served two terms till May 29, 2007. He is currently in jail for admitting to misappropriating Taraba State’s monies meant for stationeries.
35	Yobe	Bukar Ibrahim	49
36	Zamfara	Ahmad Sani Yerima	39

2007-2015

S/N	State	Governor	Age	Remarks (if any)
1	Abia	Theodore Orji	50
2	Adamawa	Murtala Nyako	64	In office from May 29, 2007 till February 2008 when his election was annulled for alleged electoral malpractices. Returned in April 2008 after winning a re-run election. Re-elected for a second term but impeached on July 15, 2014. On February 11, 2016, the Appeal Court nullified the election. The Supreme Court upheld the judgment on December 16, 2016, but he was not reinstated.
3	Akwa Ibom	Godswill Obot Akpabio	45
4	Anambra	Peter Obi	44	First elected on March 17, 2006; impeached on November 2, 2006. Reinstated on February 9, 2007 – and in office till May 2007 – after impeachment was overturned. Contested a fresh election on April 29, 2007 and was reappointed on governor on June 14, 2007 after a court ruling that he should be allowed to complete a four-year term. He won a fresh election on February 6, 2010 and served a second term as governor.
5	Bauchi	Isa Yuguda	51
6	Bayelsa	Timpire Sylva	43	In office from May 29, 2007 till April 15, 2008 when the Appeal Court annulled his election. He won a court-ordered rerun election and was again reinstated on May 27, 2008. In February 2012, the Supreme Court ordered his removal.
7	Benue	Gabriel Suswam	43
8	Borno	Ali Modu Sheriff	47	Took office on May 29, 2003, after his predecessor served only one term. He served two terms which ended in 2011.
8a	Borno	KashimShettima	45	Assumed office on May 29, 2011
9	Cross River	LiyelImoke	46	Although he served two terms from May 29, 2007, his election was nullified by an election tribunal in July 2008. A fresh election brought him back in August 2008.
10	Delta	Emmanuel Uduaghan	53	His first term was annulled on November 9, 2010 by the Appeal Court. He was re-elected in a fresh election in 2011 and he completed his second term.
11	Ebonyi	Martin Elechi	66
12	Edo	OserheimenOsunbor	56	His election was declared invalid by a tribunal on March 20, 2008. Supreme Court upheld the ruling in November.
12a	Edo	Adams Oshiomhole	56	In office from November 11, 2008 to November 12, 2016.
13	Ekiti	Segun Oni	53	His election was annulled by the Appeal Court on October 15, 2010.
13a	Ekiti	Kayode Fayemi	45	Assumed office on October 15, 2010 till 2014.
14	Enugu	Sullivan Chime	47
15	Gombe	Mohammed Danjuma Goje	51	His first term was from 2003. Finished his second term in 2011.
16	Imo	Ihedi Ohakim	50	In office for only one term from May 29, 2007 till May 29, 2011. Advertisement
16a	Imo	Rochas Okorocha	49	Assumed office on May 29, 2011. He was re-elected for a second term starting from May 29, 2015 which he completed on May 20, 2019.
17	Jigawa	Sule Lamido	59
18	Kaduna	Namadi Sambo	53	His term ended on May 19, 2010 when he was nominated and approved as vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
18a	Kaduna	Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa	62	He was deputy governor to Namadi Sambo who became Nigeria’s VP on May 19, 2010. Yakowa’s tenure started on May 20, 2010. He successfully ran for elections in the 2011 polls; however, he died on December 15, 2012.
18b	Kaduna	Mukhtar RamalanYero	41	He was deputy governor to Yakowa and after the latter’s death, he succeeded him and steered the ship till May 29, 2015.
19	Kano	Ibrahim Shekarau	48	Served two terms from 2003-2011
19a	Kano	Musa RabiuKwankaso	43	Was a two-time governor; serving first from 1999-2003 and later from 2011-2015.
20	Katsina	Ibrahim Shema	55
21	Kebbi	Usman Sa’iduNasamuDakingari	48	First elected in 2007. Re-elected for a second term in 2011 but the election was annulled on February 24, 2012. He won a court-ordered fresh election and returned to office on April 2, 2012 till May 29, 2015.
22	Kogi	Ibrahim Idris	54	His re-election for a second term in April 2007 was nullified because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was found to have wrongly excluded another candidate. He was returned as governor, after winning a fresh election held on March 29, 2008 and was in office till January 2011.
22a	Kogi	Idris Wada	61	Elected on December 9, 2011; took office in January 2012, till January 27, 2016.
23	Kwara	Bukola Saraki	41	Concluded his second term in 2011, starting from 2003.
23a	Kwara	Abdulfatah Ahmed	48	Held office for two terms; from May 29, 2011-May 29, 2019.
24	Lagos	Babatunde Raji Fashola	44
25	Nasarawa	Aliyu AkweDoma Advertisement	65	May 29, 2007-May 29, 2011
25a	Nasarawa	Umaru Tanko Al-Makura	52	May 29, 2011-May 29, 2019
26	Niger	Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu	52
27	Ogun	Gbenga Daniel	46	May 29, 2007-May 29, 2011
28	Ondo	Olusegun Agagu	54	His second term in office from 2007 was truncated in 2009 after a court voided his re-election on the grounds of electoral irregularities.
28a	Ondo	Olusegun Mimiko	54	In office from Feb 2009 to Feb 2017
29	Osun	Olagunsoye Oyinlola	59	First elected in May 2003. Second term election from 2007 was annulled on November 26, 2010.
30	Oyo	Adebayo Alao-Akala*	57	Was deputy governor from May 29, 2003 till January 2006 when he was sworn-in to take over from Gov Rasheed Ladoja after his impeachment. He occupied this office till December 2006. He won election in 2007 and served a full term till 2011.
31	Plateau	Jonah David Jang	62
32	Rivers	Celestine Omehia	48	He was in office from May 29, 2007 till October 25, 2007 when the Supreme Court ruled that he was not the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party on which platform he had contested.
32a	Rivers State	Rotimi Amaechi	42	Though he had won the primary of the Peoples Democratic Party to run for the May 29, 2007 election, his name was substituted for that of Celestine Omehia. He successfully challenged this decision up to the Supreme Court which ruled in his favour and he assumed office as governor on October 26, 2007. He won a second term and was in office till May 29, 2015.
33	Sokoto	Aliyu Wamakko	53	Assumed office on May 29, 2007. The election was annulled in April 2008. He regained the seat in May after winning a re-run election. He remained in officed till May 2015.
34	Taraba	DanbabaSuntai	46	He was elected on May 29, 2007. He won a re-election in 2011. He received serious injuries in October 2012 while flying a Cessna 208B Caravan aircraft which crashed. He remained in office till May 2015, even as there were allegations that he had a brain damage.
35	Yobe	Mamma Bello Ali	49	He was in office from May 29, 2007 till his death on January 26, 2009.
35a	Yobe	Ibrahim Gaidam	52	He was deputy governor to Mamma Bello Ali from May 29, 2007 till Ali’s death on January 26, 2009. He succeeded him the following day till he left office on May 29, 2019.
36	Zamfara	Mahmud Shinkafi	49	Had been deputy governor to Gov Ahmad Sani Yarima, described as his mentor. He succeeded Yarima on Yarima on May 29, 2007 and served only one term of four years.
36a	Zamfara	Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari	42	Was in office from May 29, 2011 till May 29, 2019. In June 2018, he publicly resigned as the Chief Security Officer of the State as he claimed he no longer had control of the security machinery of the State which had been overwhelmed by violence by bandits.

*Age calculated from when he won election

2015-2019

Most of these governors assumed office on 29 May 2015. Some were re-elected for their second term.

S/N	State	Governor	Age	Remarks (if any)
1	Abia	Okezie Ikpeazu	51
2	Adamawa	Jibrilla Bindow	52
3	Akwa Ibom	Emmanuel Udom	49
4	Anambra	Willie Obiano	59	He assumed office on March 17, 2014 at the end of his predecessor’s tenure. He won a re-election on November 18, 2017
5	Bauchi	Mohammed Abubakar	59	In office for only one term.
6	Bayelsa	Seriake Dickson	46	Had become governor on February 14, 2012 following the annulment of Timpire Sylva’s election.
7	Benue	Samuel Ortom	54
8	Borno	Kashim Shettima	45	Second term from May 29, 2015
9	Cross River	Benedict Ayade	46
10	Delta	Ifeanyi Okowa	56
11	Ebonyi	Dave Umahi	50
12	Edo	Godwin Obaseki	58	Assumed office on November 12, 2016 after the end of his predecessor’s tenure.
13	Ekiti	Ayo Fayose	43	He had been governor from May 29, 2003 till October 16, 2006 when he was impeached. He got re-elected again on October 16, 2014 and was in office till October 16, 2018.
13a	Ekiti	Kayode Fayemi	45	His second time in office; from October 16, 2018. He had led the state previously between 2010 and 2014.
14	Enugu	Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi	50
15	Gombe	Ibrahim Dankwabo	48	Second term in office, having first assumed office on May 29, 2011
16	Imo	Rochas Okorocha	49	Second term in office
17	Jigawa	Badaru Abubakar	53
18	Kaduna	Nasir El-Rufai	54
19	Kano	Umar Danguje	70
20	Katsina	Aminu Masari	65*
21	Kebbi	Abubakar Atiku Bagudu	54
22	Kogi	Yahaya Bello	41	He was declared governor of the 2015 governorship election after the death of the original winner, Abubakar Audu. He assumed office on January 27, 2016.
23	Kwara	Abdulfatah Ahmed	48	Second term in office
24	Lagos	Akinwunmi Ambode	52	In office from May 29, 2015 till he lost re-election for a second term
25	Nasarawa	Umaru Tanko Al-Makura	52	Second term in office
26	Niger	Abubakar Sani Bello	48
27	Ogun	Ibikunle Amosun	56
28	Ondo	Olusegun Mimiko	54	His second term in office lapsed on February 24, 2017
28a	Ondo	Oluwarotimi Akeredolu	61	Assumed office from February 2017
29	Osun	Rauf Agbesola	53	Completed his second term in office on November 26, 2018. He had assumed office on November 26, 2010.
30	Oyo	Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi	62	Second term in office.
31	Plateau	Simon Lalong	51
32	Rivers	Nyesom Wike	48
33	Sokoto	Aminu Tambuwal	48
34	Taraba	Darius Ishaku	61
35	Yobe	Ibrahim Gaidam	52	Second term in office
36	Zamfara	Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari	42	Second term in office