Kogi State

For the Amerindian tribe see Koguis.

Kogi State State nickname: The Confluence State
Location
Statistics
Governor (List)	Ibrahim Idris (PDP)
Date Created	27 August 1991
Capital	Lokoja
Area	29,833 km² Ranked 13th
Population 1991 Census 2005 estimate	Ranked 24th 2,099,046 3,595,789
ISO 3166-2	NG-KO

Kogi is a state in the north-central zone of Nigeria. It is popularly called the confluence state due to the fact that the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue occurs there. Its capital is Lokoja. There are four main ethnic groups and languages in Kogi: Igala, Igbo, Ebira, and Okun; with the Igalas being the largest ethnic group in the state. There are many mineral resources in Kogi, including iron, petroleum and tin.

The state was formed in 1991 from parts of Benue State and Kwara State.

There were more candidates contesting for the governorship of Kogi state than any other state in Nigeria's 2003 general elections. Notable among the candidates were Senators Alex Kadiri and A.T Ahmed. Barrister Emmanuel Dangana Ocheja, Air Vice Marshal Isaac Alfa, Prince Abubakar Audu (who was the sitting governor at the time and is now wanted by the EFCC), and Ibrahim Idris were also front runners. Against all odds, Ibrahim Idris who was the underdog among the leading aspirants emerged the eventual winner. His victory was a surprise to many who expected either Senator Alex Kadiri, a veteran politician or the very popular Barrister Ocheja to win. The next general election is set for 2007,many suspect Ibrahim Idris will try to run for a second term amidst fierce criticism over his poor performance but his victory under the PDP flagship seems likely as Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Arch. Stephen Olorunfemi, Barrister Ocheja, Dr. Patrick Adaba and other political bigwigs in the state are seen to pledge full support for his second term bid.