He defeated the then incumbent governor, Abubakar Audu, and was sworn into office on May 29, 2003.

His administration later faced a major legal challenge after the 2007 governorship election.

Although Idris was declared winner of the 2007 election, the result was challenged because Audu, who was the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), had been excluded from the election.

The legal battle eventually led to the nullification of the election.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision in February 2008 and ordered a fresh election.

Idris subsequently returned to the ballot for the re-run election held in March 2008.

He was again declared winner and continued as governor of Kogi State.

His victory was also challenged by Audu, who alleged irregularities in the conduct of the election.

Idris eventually completed his tenure in January 2012.

He was succeeded by Captain Idris Wada, who also contested the governorship election on the platform of the PDP.

Before entering politics, Idris had built a career in business.

He established Ibro Trading Company and was involved in businesses covering areas such as construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality.

He also established a furniture factory in Sokoto and later founded Ibro Hotel.

His business activities helped establish his name outside Kogi State before he moved fully into politics.

Idris was born in 1949 in Idah, in present-day Kogi State.

He started his early education in Onitsha, Anambra State, before completing his primary education in Kano.

He later attended King’s Commercial College in Buguma, Rivers State.

He subsequently obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Abuja.

His years in public office placed him among the political figures who played important roles in the development of Kogi State during the period.

One of the incidents that brought Idris national attention occurred in 2006 following the crash of ADC Airlines Flight 53.

Three of his daughters were among the survivors of the crash.

The incident claimed several lives, while only a few passengers survived.

Reacting to the survival of his daughters at the time, Idris described the development as a “superlative show of mercy” from God.

He also called on Nigerians to join his family in thanksgiving following the survival of his children.

The former governor later faced another painful family tragedy in 2024.

His son, Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, a former member of the House of Representatives, died in Abuja shortly after observing the Eid-el-Fitr prayer.

Mohammed represented the Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015.

Reports at the time said the former lawmaker collapsed after returning home from the Eid prayer.

He was subsequently buried according to Islamic rites in Abuja.

The death of Mohammed Ibrahim Idris attracted condolences from political figures in Kogi State.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had condoled with the former governor and his family following the death of his son.

In his condolence message, Ododo described the late lawmaker as a man who had made meaningful contributions in politics and business.

The governor also recalled his last meeting with Mohammed in March 2024 during a visit involving political stakeholders from Omala Local Government Area.

The reported death of Ibrahim Idris would therefore come about two years after the death of his son.

Idris remained a notable figure in the political history of Kogi State even after leaving office.

His administration covered a period when the PDP maintained significant political influence in the state and at the national level.

Three other former senior KLA figures were tried alongside Thaci. Jakup Krasniqi also received a 25-year sentence, while Kadri Veseli was jailed for 18 years and Rexhep Selimi for 13 years. All four had denied the charges.

The panel acquitted the four men on six counts of crimes against humanity, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove those crimes were part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.

The verdicts drew an immediate public response in Kosovo, where Thaci remains a revered figure for many ethnic Albanians. Thousands had gathered in the capital Pristina ahead of the ruling, with crowds filling a central square waving red and black Albanian flags and banners calling for the men’s acquittal. When the guilty verdicts were announced on a big screen, many in the crowd booed and wept.

Thaci had resigned from the Kosovo presidency in late 2020 to face the charges, after nearly three years of trial proceedings. In his closing address to the court in February, he said: “Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice.”

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted to the verdict by posting an image of barbed wire stretched across a map of Europe, with a single word: “Unbelievable.”