Eastern Region Before
Nigeria's independence in 1960, the territory that now constitutes
Enugu State was part of old
Anambra State which was itself part of the
Eastern Region, one of the country's original
administrative divisions. During the
colonial era, British officials governed the Eastern Region, with
Clement Pleass (1954–1956) and
Robert Stapledon (1956–1960) serving as governors. After independence,
Francis Akanu Ibiam (1960–1966) became the first Nigerian governor of the Eastern Region, while
Michael Okpara served as its premier (1960–1966). However, following Nigeria's first
military coup in January 1966, the military dismissed the civilian premiers and appointed military governors, with
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu governing the Eastern Region from January 1966. The regional system itself was dissolved in May 1967, when
Yakubu Gowon created 12 states out of the four regions during the
Nigerian Civil War. A premier was responsible for the region's executive functions. Administrators were usually appointed to rule a state when there was a political crisis or state of emergency.
East Central State East Central State was created on 27 May 1967 by the
military government of
Yakubu Gowon as part of a national restructuring effort that dissolved the regional system and replaced it with twelve states. The new state was carved out of the former
Eastern Region and was composed predominantly of Igbo-speaking populations. Its capital was
Enugu. The state existed from 1967 until 3 February 1976, when it was divided into two separate states—
Anambra State and
Imo State—under the nationwide state creation exercise carried out by the military regime of
Murtala Mohammed. Over time, further subdivisions from the original East Central territory would lead to the creation of
Enugu State (1991),
Ebonyi State (1996), and
Abia State (1991). During its nine-year existence, East Central State was governed entirely by military-appointed officials. The first was
Ukpabi Asika, who was appointed as Administrator in 1967 and remained in office until July 1975. His tenure covered the entire duration of the
Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), during which he oversaw the East Central State government’s efforts to manage war-related devastation, provide relief, and reintegrate the region into Nigeria. In July 1975, he was replaced by
Anthony Ochefu, a military officer who governed the state until its dissolution in February 1976. A military governor was the head of a state during
Nigeria's military era, appointed by the head of the federal military government to administer states, as established by Decree No. 14 of 1967. He exercised executive powers on behalf of the central military government. In contrast, an
executive governor is the
democratically elected chief executive of a state under the
1999 Constitution, empowered to lead the state government, implement laws, and oversee public administration. The deputy governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor and serves as the second-in-command, assuming the governorship in the event of the governor's death, incapacitation, or resignation, and assisting in administrative duties as assigned.
Anambra State Anambra State was created on 3 February 1976 from the division of the former
East Central State by the military government of
Murtala Mohammed. This state creation exercise increased the number of states in Nigeria from twelve to nineteen. The new Anambra State initially retained
Enugu as its capital. Between 1976 and 1991, the state included areas that would later become
Enugu State. A subsequent subdivision on 27 August 1991 by the military government of
Ibrahim Babangida led to the creation of Enugu State, with the present-day Anambra State retaining
Awka as its capital. Under the
Second Republic, the state elected
Jim Nwobodo of the
Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), who governed from 1979 until the
military coup in December 1983. He was succeeded briefly by
Christian Onoh of the
National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Following the 1983 coup, Anambra State returned to military administration, with a succession of governors appointed between 1984 and 1992. These included
Allison Madueke,
Samson Omeruah,
Robert Akonobi, and
Herbert Eze. The city of
Enugu, which had earlier served as the capital of both
East Central and old
Anambra states, became the capital of the new Enugu State. The first governor specifically assigned to Enugu was
Herbert Eze, a military administrator who served from August 1990 under the old Anambra framework but continued briefly during the transition until January 1992. During the short-lived
Third Republic,
Okwesilieze Nwodo of the
National Republican Convention (NRC) served as the state's first civilian governor from January 1992 until the
November 1993 military coup. Following the return of military rule, a series of military administrators governed the state. These included
Temi Ejoor (December 1993 – September 1994),
Mike Torey (September 1994 – August 1996),
Sule Ahman (August 1996 – August 1998), and
Adewunmi Agbaje (August 1998 – May 1999). With the advent of the
Fourth Republic in 1999,
Chimaroke Nnamani of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was elected governor, serving two terms from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He was succeeded by
Sullivan Chime (2007–2015), followed by
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (2015–2023), both also of the PDP. In the
2023 gubernatorial elections,
Peter Mbah of the PDP was elected and sworn in as governor on 29 May 2023. He is the incumbent. == Explanatory notes ==