Delta State, situated in Nigeria's southern region, has had various leaders since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, both military and civilian. After independence, Nigeria had only three regions, and the area of the future Delta State was located in the Western Region. The Mid-Western Region was separated from the Western Region in August 1963 and had Dennis Osadebay as its initial Premier. Osadebay served until January 1966, when he was replaced by David Akpode Ejoor, the first military governor. Control of the region was contested during the Biafran War (1967–1970), and Ejoor was replaced by Samuel Ogbemudia. Ogbemudia governed the Mid-Western State from September 1967 to July 1975. The region was renamed and reorganised as the Bendel State on 17 March 1976, its name a combination of the old Benin and Delta provinces. Notable governors during this time period include George Agbazika Innih, Husaini Abdullahi, and Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Ogbemudia also returned for a three-month stint as a civilian governor in 1983 before the military reasserted control.

The modern Delta state was established on 27 August 1991, following the division of Bendel State into Edo and Delta states. Felix Ibru became the first civilian governor of Delta State from January 1992 to November 1993, followed by military governors.

The Western Region was governed by a Premier and a ceremonial Governor. From October 1954 to December 1959, Obafemi Awolowo served as the region's first Premier, during which he implemented the Universal Primary Education program.^[1] He was succeeded by Samuel Ladoke Akintola, who held the position until the region's political crisis escalated in the early 1960s.^[2] Meanwhile, Adesoji Aderemi served as the Governor of the Western Region, a largely ceremonial role that represented the British monarchy until Nigeria became a republic in 1963.^[3] The Premier was responsible for the region's executive functions.^[2]

In 1962, a political crisis occurred when Governor Aderemi dismissed Akintola following allegations of corruption and maladministration. This led to a state of emergency in the region.^[2][4] During the emergency, Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi was appointed as the temporary administrator, displacing the region's political leadership.^[3] After six months, Akintola was reinstated as Premier following a court ruling overturning his dismissal.^[2] The political instability during this period contributed to the regional tensions that persisted even after the Western Region was split and the Mid-Western Region was created in 1963.^[4][5]

The Mid-Western Region of Nigeria was created on 9 August 1963.^[6][7] The region was carved out of the Western Region, becoming Nigeria's fourth region. The Mid-Western Region initially had a premier, but later military governors would also serve as the chief officials.^[7]

Dennis Osadebay served as the region's first civilian leader, and was premier from August 1963 to January 1966.^[8] Political turmoil led to military administrations, starting with David Akpode Ejoor in January 1966.^[9] The region was taken by the Biafran Armed Forces during the Nigerian Civil War, with Albert Okonkwo administering the area from August to September 1967 on behalf of Biafra.^[10]

Samuel Ogbemudia served as military governor from September 1967 to July 1975.^[11]

Governors and Military Administrators of the Mid-Western Region, Nigeria

No.	Name		Title	Term in office	Notes
1		Dennis Osadebay (1911–1994) [12]	Premier	August 1963 – January 1966	First and only Premier of the Mid-Western Region
2		David Ejoor (1932–2019) [9]	Military Governor	January 1966[a] – August 1967	First military governor following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état
3	—	Albert Okonkwo	Administrator	August 1967 – September 1967	Administered the region under Biafran control during the Nigerian Civil War
4		Samuel Ogbemudia (1932–2017) [14]	Military Governor	September 1967[b] – July 1975	Known for post-war reconstruction and development projects[15]

Following administrative changes in Nigeria, the Mid-Western Region was renamed Bendel State on 17 March 1976.^[16] This renaming was part of a broader national effort to reorganise Nigeria's states and local governments, under the regime of General Murtala Mohammed.^[17]

George Agbazika Innih was the first military governor of Bendel State.^[18] He was followed by Husaini Abdullahi, who governed from March 1976 to July 1978. Abubakar Waziri served as the military administrator from 24 July 1978 to 30 September 1979. Ambrose Folorunsho Alli was elected as the first executive civilian governor in October 1979 under the Unity Party of Nigeria and served until September 1983. Samuel Ogbemudia was elected as a civilian governor under the National Party of Nigeria, and briefly served from October to December 1983. His brief tenure was due to the 1983 military coup to oust Alhaji Shehu Shagari and install Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state.^[19]

Jeremiah Timbut Useni took office in January 1984 and led till 27 August 1985, followed by John Mark Inienger from September 1985 to July 1988. Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha governed from July 1988 to August 1990, and John Ewerekumoh Yeri served from August 1990 to 27 August 1991.^[19] The state was divided into Edo and Delta states on 27 August 1991 with Luke Chijiuba Ochulor serving as the first military governor of the newly formed Delta State.^[20]

Executive Governors and Military Administrators of Bendel State, Nigeria

No.	Name		Title	Term in office	Notes
1		George Agbazika Innih (1938–2002) [21]	Military Governor	August 1975 – March 1976	Oversaw the transition period following Ogbemudia's administration.
2		Husaini Abdullahi (1939–2019) [22]	Military Governor	March 1976[c] – July 1978	Continued military governance during the era of General Olusegun Obasanjo's military regime.
3		Abubakar Waziri (b. 1940) [23]	Military Governor	24 July 1978 – 30 September 1979	Also served as a brigade commander for Nigeria Army Benin City.[19]
4		Ambrose Folorunsho Alli (1929–1989) [24]	Executive Governor	October 1979 – September 1983	Elected as the first civilian governor of Bendel under the umbrella of the Unity Party of Nigeria.[19]
5		Samuel Ogbemudia (1922–2017) [14]	Executive Governor	October 1983 – 31 December 1983	Brief return to civilian rule, under the umbrella of the National Party of Nigeria, before the 1983 military coup.[19]
6	—	Jeremiah Useni (b. 1943) [25]	Military Governor	January 1984 – 27 August 1985
7		John Mark Inienger (1945–2002) [26][27]	Military Governor	September 1985 – July 1988
8	—	Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha (b. 1945) [26]	Military Governor	July 1988 – August 1990
9	—	John Ewerekumoh Yeri	Military Governor	August 1990 – 27 August 1991 [d]	Last military governor before the creation of Edo and Delta states.

Delta State was established on 27 August 1991, following the division of Bendel State into Edo and Delta States.^[28] This is a list of military administrators and governors of Delta State. A new office was created for the 1999 elections, that of the deputy governor of Delta State. Deputies were elected on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial candidate, and thus share the same party by default.

The 2011 Delta State gubernatorial re-run election took place after the annulment of the 2011 election, which had initially declared Emmanuel Uduaghan of the People's Democratic Party as the winner. The re-run, organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, resulted in Uduaghan retaining his position by winning in 12 out of the 22 local government areas where results were collated, defeating Chief Great Ogboru of the Democratic People's Party, who secured victories in 10 local government areas.^[29]

Military and Executive Governors of Delta State

No.	Governor		Term in office	Party		Election	D. Governor
1	—	Luke Chijiuba Ochulor	27 August 1991 – January 1992 [30]		Military	N/A	Office did not exist
2		Felix Ibru (b. 1935) [31]	January 1992 – November 1993 [32]		SDP [32]	1991
3	—	Abdulkadir Shehu	November 1993 – 10 December 1993 [33]		Military (acting)	N/A
4	—	Bassey Asuquo	10 December 1993 – 26 September 1994 [34]		Military	N/A
5	—	Ibrahim Kefas (b. 1948) [35]	26 September 1994 – 22 August 1996 [33]		Military	N/A
6		John Dungs (b. 1952) [36]	22 August 1996 – 12 August 1998 [33][36]		Military	N/A
7	—	Walter Feghabo	12 August 1998 – 29 May 1999 [37]		Military	N/A
8	—	James Ibori (b. 1958) [38]	29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 [39]		PDP [40]	1999 2003	Benjamin Elue
9		Emmanuel Uduaghan (b. 1954) [41]	29 May 2007 – 29 May 2015 [42]		PDP [42]	2007 2011 2011 rerun	Amos Utuama
10		Ifeanyi Okowa (b. 1959) [43]	29 May 2015 – 29 May 2023 [43][44]		PDP [44]	2015 2019	Kingsley Otuaro
11	—	Sheriff Oborevwori (b. 1963) [45]	29 May 2023 – Incumbent [46]		PDP	2023	Monday Onyeme

• List of governors of Edo State
• List of state governors of Nigeria

• Falola, Toyin; Genova, Ann (2009). Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5615-8.
• Eweka, Richard Okoro (27 August 2013). "Edo State At 22: The Journey So Far!". The Nigerian Observer. Vol. 38, no. 297. ISSN 0331-2674. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024 – via Issuu.
• Iweze, Daniel Olisa (2024). "Historical Perspective of Anioma Struggle for Identity in Nigeria Since 1951". Journal of African Studies and Research Forum. ISSN 2948-2399.