First Five Military Governors Who Ruled Edo State From 1991 to 1998

Edo State has had 11 governors and military administrators since it was created in 1991, but not all of them came to power through elections.

Before Nigeria returned to uninterrupted civilian rule in 1999, Edo went through several military administrations. In fact, five military officers governed the state between 1991 and 1998, although their periods in office were interrupted by the short civilian administration of John Odigie Oyegun.

Edo State was created on August 27, 1991, after the former Bendel State was divided into Edo and Delta states. The state was initially placed under military administration before the country briefly returned to civilian government in 1992.

Here are the five military officers who governed Edo during that period.

1. Colonel John Ewerekumoh Yeri — 1991 to 1992

John Ewerekumoh Yeri became the first military governor of the newly created Edo State.

He took over when Edo was created in August 1991 and remained in office until January 1992.

That makes him an important figure in the state’s history: Yeri was the first person to govern Edo after it became a state of its own.

His administration lasted only a few months before the military government handed power to an elected civilian administration.

2. Colonel Mohammed Abul-Salam Onuka — 1993 to 1994

After the military takeover of November 1993 brought an end to the civilian government, Colonel Mohammed Abul-Salam Onuka became the military administrator of Edo State.

He took office in December 1993 and remained there until September 1994.

His administration came during the early years of General Sani Abacha’s military government.

By this point, Edo had already experienced both military and civilian government within just a few years of its creation.

3. Colonel Bassey Asuquo — 1994 to 1996

Colonel Bassey Asuquo succeeded Onuka in September 1994.

He governed Edo for almost two years, remaining in office until August 1996.

According to historical records, Asuquo’s tenure ran from September 14, 1994, to August 22, 1996.

His administration was part of the long period of military rule that followed the collapse of Nigeria’s short-lived Third Republic.

4. Group Captain Baba Adamu Iyam — 1996 to 1998

Baba Adamu Iyam took over as Edo’s military administrator on August 22, 1996.

He remained in office for almost two years, leaving on August 7, 1998.

His tenure was during the final years of General Sani Abacha’s government.

Iyam’s administration is also remembered for some controversial decisions, including a major reduction in the Edo State civil service. Historical accounts report that more than 8,000 state workers were dismissed during his administration, while government funding to Edo State University in Ekpoma was also stopped.

5. Navy Captain Anthony Onyearugbulem — 1998 to 1999

Anthony Ibe Onyearugbulem became Edo’s last military administrator.

He took over from Baba Adamu Iyam on August 7, 1998.

His time in office lasted less than 10 months because Nigeria was already moving towards the return of democratic government.

Onyearugbulem handed over power to Lucky Igbinedion on May 29, 1999, bringing the era of military administration in Edo State to an end.

He was previously the military administrator of Ondo State before being moved to Edo.

But who was Edo’s first civilian governor?

This is where the history becomes interesting.

Although John Yeri was the first governor after Edo State was created, John Odigie Oyegun was Edo’s first elected civilian governor.

Oyegun took office in January 1992 after the 1991 election and governed until the military takeover in November 1993.

So, technically, the sequence was not five military governors ruling Edo continuously from 1991.

It was:

John Yeri → John Oyegun → Mohammed Abul-Salam Onuka → Bassey Asuquo → Baba Adamu Iyam → Anthony Onyearugbulem

Yeri was the first military governor, Oyegun was the first elected civilian governor, and Onuka, Asuquo, Iyam and Onyearugbulem later returned Edo to military administration.

When did military rule finally End in Edo?

Military rule finally ended on May 29, 1999, when Lucky Igbinedion was sworn in as governor following Nigeria’s return to democratic government.

That marked the beginning of the uninterrupted civilian administrations that Edo has had since then.

The governors since 1999 have been:

• Lucky Igbinedion — 1999 to 2007
• Oserheimen Osunbor — 2007 to 2008
• Adams Oshiomhole — 2008 to 2016
• Godwin Obaseki — 2016 to 2024
• Monday Okpebholo — 2024 to present

So when people say Edo has had 11 governors since its creation, they are counting both military administrators and elected governors.

When counting only elected governors since the return to democracy in 1999, the number is five.

List of Edo State’s military governors and administrators

One important correction

John Odigie Oyegun should not be included among the military governors. He was an elected civilian governor.

That distinction is important because Edo’s political history between 1991 and 1999 was not simply a straight period of military rule. The state experienced a brief return to civilian government under Oyegun before the military took power again in 1993.

Thirty-five years after Edo was created, those early years remain an important part of understanding how the state got from its creation in 1991 to the democratic government it has today.