2027 · GubernatorialAPC
Agbu Kefas & Ibrahim Zainab Abubakar
- Agbu Kefas’s role
- Candidate
- Race
- Taraba
- Campaign status
- Active campaign record
No reviewed manifesto or campaign document with a source link is available here yet.
Current office
Agbu Kefas
Governor of Taraba State
This term: 29 May 2023–present
THE PERSON- State
- Taraba
- Country
- Nigeria
Current party · membership recordAll Progressives CongressAPCHow to reach
Each line shows where it comes from. A listed contact is not proof it is answered or current.
- Office address
- Not yet on record
- All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat: No. 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria. This is the party’s office, not this person’s.Suggest one
Public channelsX · @GovAgbuKefas (opens in a new tab)
Public life, in context
The record
over time.
Agbu Kefas (INEC: Kefas Agbu) is the Governor of Taraba State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, with Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim as running mate, for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). A retired Nigerian Army lieutenant colonel with 21 years of service, he chaired the governing board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and…
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Agbu Kefas (INEC: Kefas Agbu) is the Governor of Taraba State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, with Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim as running mate, for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). A retired Nigerian Army lieutenant colonel with 21 years of service, he chaired the governing board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) from 2013 to 2015 and became Taraba State chairman of the PDP in August 2020. Press profiles give him a Nigerian Defence Academy degree (1994), master's degrees from the University of Ibadan and Delta State University, and an executive-education certificate from Harvard Kennedy School. He resigned as party chairman in May 2022 and won the PDP governorship primary on 25 May 2022 with 443 of 517 votes cast; challenges to his nomination by rival aspirants were dismissed up to the Supreme Court on 3 February 2023. INEC declared him winner of the 18 March 2023 election on 21 March 2023 with 257,926 votes against 202,277 for the NNPP's Sani Yahaya, and he was sworn in on 29 May 2023 with Aminu Alkali as deputy. The NNPP's petition was dismissed by the tribunal (30 September 2023), the Court of Appeal (28 November 2023) and the Supreme Court (25 January 2024). On 14 December 2025 he resigned from the PDP and registered as an APC member, saying he wanted to align Taraba with President Tinubu's agenda; the APC formally received him at a reception in Jalingo on 31 January 2026. He won the APC primary in May 2026 with 166,357 votes to 4,110 for former transport minister Muazu Jaji Sambo, whose campaign organisation alleged irregularities. In July 2026 he named the APC's Deputy National Women Leader, Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, as running mate in place of Deputy Governor Aminu Alkali, who has been reported ill.
01 → 02 → 03
What happened. What was said.
What the evidence establishes.
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Read the role, the response and the outcome together.
Seeking public office
The campaign on record.
A campaign and a term in office are different parts of the story.
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A life in the public record.
18 linked entries · 31 distinct source links
Review dates are separate from event dates.
18 entries · Whole record
1970
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEarly lifeProfile record
Born
Agbu Kefas was born on 12 Nov 1970.
1994
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna
BSc Political Science and Defence Studies · Political Science and Defence Studies
- Location
- Kaduna
- Institution
- University
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2005
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
University of Ibadan
Master's degree, Legal Criminology and Security Psychology · Legal Criminology and Security Psychology
- Location
- Ibadan, Oyo State
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2008
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Delta State University, Abraka
Master's degree, Public Administration · Public Administration
- Location
- Abraka, Delta State
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2013
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Chairman, Governing Board
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
- Industry
- Maritime
Named chairman of the NIMASA governing board in a Federal Government statement on 20 December 2012 (Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Daily Post, 21 Dec 2012). BusinessDay and Leadership date the tenure 2013 to 2015.
2020
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
State Chairman
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Taraba State chapter
- Industry
- Politics
Emerged Taraba PDP state chairman as sole candidate at the state convention in Jalingo on 12 August 2020, succeeding Victor Bala Kona (Daily Post, 13 Aug 2020). Resigned in May 2022 to contest the governorship primary (Tribune, 25 May 2022: resigned on the Tuesday night).
2022
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2022 Governorship primary
Peoples Democratic Party · Taraba
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Votes
- 443
- Vote share
- 86.02%
- Recorded winner
- Agbu Kefas
PDP governorship primary, Taraba (for the 2023 election). Won with 443 of the 517 votes cast; Joseph Albasu Kunini (then Speaker of the State House of Assembly) 31, Jerome Nyameh 24, Joel Danlami Ikenya 11, Hilkiah Buba-Joda (Mafindi) 6; two votes were invalid (Daily Trust). Percentage is 443 of the 515 valid votes, computed. Victor Bala Kona had withdrawn earlier the same day.…
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PDP governorship primary, Taraba (for the 2023 election). Won with 443 of the 517 votes cast; Joseph Albasu Kunini (then Speaker of the State House of Assembly) 31, Jerome Nyameh 24, Joel Danlami Ikenya 11, Hilkiah Buba-Joda (Mafindi) 6; two votes were invalid (Daily Trust). Percentage is 443 of the 515 valid votes, computed. Victor Bala Kona had withdrawn earlier the same day. He resigned as Taraba PDP chairman immediately before the contest (Tribune: on the Tuesday night, 24 May 2022; a rival aspirant's court case said his resignation letter was dated 17 May 2022, see the legal record). Rival aspirants' challenges to his nomination were dismissed up to the Supreme Court on 3 February 2023.
2023
IN THE PUBLIC RECORD Electoral caseDismissed
The record
Governorship election challenge
Read the full case title
Suit by PDP aspirants Jerome Nyameh and Hilkiah Buba-Joda challenging Agbu Kefas's 2022 PDP governorship nomination: dismissed, appeals dismissed by the Supreme Court on 3 February 2023
- Role in this matter
- Respondent
- Record type
- Adjudicated
- Court / authority
- Federal High Court, Jalingo; Court of Appeal, Yola; Supreme Court of Nigeria
Being named in a court record does not by itself establish wrongdoing. A claimant, respondent and legal representative have different roles.
Response on record
No separate response is linked. Read the court outcome and the original sources for the full account.
Last documented outcome
Dismissed
Prof. Jerome Nyameh, with two other aspirants applying to join as interested parties (August 2022), argued that Kefas had not resigned as state party chairman before buying the nomination form, in breach of the PDP's 2022 primaries guidelines. The Federal High Court in Jalingo dismissed the suit; the Court of Appeal in Yola upheld that decision by a 2-1 majority in November 2022 (Vanguard, 25 Nov 2022); on 3 February 2023 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by Nyameh and Hilkiah Buba-Joda, holding that they breached sections 84 and…
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Prof. Jerome Nyameh, with two other aspirants applying to join as interested parties (August 2022), argued that Kefas had not resigned as state party chairman before buying the nomination form, in breach of the PDP's 2022 primaries guidelines. The Federal High Court in Jalingo dismissed the suit; the Court of Appeal in Yola upheld that decision by a 2-1 majority in November 2022 (Vanguard, 25 Nov 2022); on 3 February 2023 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by Nyameh and Hilkiah Buba-Joda, holding that they breached sections 84 and 87(9) of the Electoral Act 2022 by not exhausting the party's internal dispute-resolution mechanism. His nomination stood.
Dated entries in this matter 1 entry
- Outcome recorded · Dismissed
Prof. Jerome Nyameh, with two other aspirants applying to join as interested parties (August 2022), argued that Kefas had not resigned as state party chairman before buying the nomination form, in breach of the PDP's 2022 primaries guidelines. The Federal High Court in Jalingo dismissed the suit; the Court of Appeal in Yola upheld that decision by a 2-1 majority in November 2022 (Vanguard, 25 Nov 2022); on 3 February 2023 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by Nyameh and…
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Prof. Jerome Nyameh, with two other aspirants applying to join as interested parties (August 2022), argued that Kefas had not resigned as state party chairman before buying the nomination form, in breach of the PDP's 2022 primaries guidelines. The Federal High Court in Jalingo dismissed the suit; the Court of Appeal in Yola upheld that decision by a 2-1 majority in November 2022 (Vanguard, 25 Nov 2022); on 3 February 2023 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by Nyameh and Hilkiah Buba-Joda, holding that they breached sections 84 and 87(9) of the Electoral Act 2022 by not exhausting the party's internal dispute-resolution mechanism. His nomination stood.
Election participationReviewed record
2023 Governorship election
Peoples Democratic Party · Taraba
- Result
- Won
- Votes
- 257,926
- Recorded winner
- Agbu Kefas
Governorship election of 18 March 2023 on the PDP ticket with Aminu Alkali as running mate (Premium Times, 30 Sep 2023, names Alkali as the deputy governor). INEC's returning officer declared him winner in the early hours of 21 March 2023 in Jalingo with 257,926 votes against 202,277 for the NNPP's Sani Yahaya (Punch printed 202,278); the APC's Emmanuel Bwacha was third. The…
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Governorship election of 18 March 2023 on the PDP ticket with Aminu Alkali as running mate (Premium Times, 30 Sep 2023, names Alkali as the deputy governor). INEC's returning officer declared him winner in the early hours of 21 March 2023 in Jalingo with 257,926 votes against 202,277 for the NNPP's Sani Yahaya (Punch printed 202,278); the APC's Emmanuel Bwacha was third. The figure 257,926 is given by Daily Post, Punch and Channels; Premium Times printed 302,614 and BusinessDay/Leadership 257,996, which are not used. Total valid votes were not found, so no percentage is stored. Sworn in 29 May 2023. The NNPP/Yahaya petition was dismissed by the tribunal (30 Sep 2023), the Court of Appeal (28 Nov 2023) and the Supreme Court (25 Jan 2024).
ElectedProfile record
Governor
Taraba
- Status
- Current term
- Party on this record
- APC
- Term
- Taraba Governorship Cycle 2023-2027
2024
IN THE PUBLIC RECORD Electoral caseDismissed
The record
Election challenge
Read the full case title
NNPP and Sani Yahaya petition against the 2023 election of Agbu Kefas as Taraba governor: dismissed by the Supreme Court on 25 January 2024
- Role in this matter
- Respondent
- Record type
- Adjudicated
- Court / authority
- Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Jalingo; Court of Appeal; Supreme Court of Nigeria
Being named in a court record does not by itself establish wrongdoing. A claimant, respondent and legal representative have different roles.
Response on record
No separate response is linked. Read the court outcome and the original sources for the full account.
Last documented outcome
Dismissed
The NNPP and its candidate Sani Yahaya, runner-up in the 18 March 2023 election, alleged that the election was not validly conducted. The tribunal in Jalingo dismissed the petition for lack of merit on 30 September 2023, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on 28 November 2023, and on 25 January 2024 a five-member Supreme Court panel unanimously dismissed the final appeal as incompetent because the appellants' record of appeal was incomplete. His election stood.
Dated entries in this matter 1 entry
- Outcome recorded · Dismissed
The NNPP and its candidate Sani Yahaya, runner-up in the 18 March 2023 election, alleged that the election was not validly conducted. The tribunal in Jalingo dismissed the petition for lack of merit on 30 September 2023, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on 28 November 2023, and on 25 January 2024 a five-member Supreme Court panel unanimously dismissed the final appeal as incompetent because the appellants' record of appeal was incomplete. His election stood.
2025
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty membershipReviewed record
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Moved from PDP to APC on 2025-12-14.
Current affiliation in the reviewed membership record.
2027
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2027 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Taraba
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Recorded winner
- Agbu Kefas
INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Taraba State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 5; INEC name: KEFAS AGBU; age 55; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): CERTICATE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BS.c; running mate: Ibrahim Zainab Abubakar · APC primary (May 2026): Governor Kefas polled 166,357 votes to 4,110 for former transport minister Muazu…
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INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Taraba State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 5; INEC name: KEFAS AGBU; age 55; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): CERTICATE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BS.c; running mate: Ibrahim Zainab Abubakar · APC primary (May 2026): Governor Kefas polled 166,357 votes to 4,110 for former transport minister Muazu Jaji Sambo (Premium Times calls him a former Minister of State for Transport; Daily Trust and Daily Post, former Minister of Transport); aspirant David Kente had withdrawn (Premium Times, 22 May). Reports differ on the day: Premium Times says the primary was held on Thursday (21 May), Daily Trust says the result was announced on Friday evening (22 May) and Daily Post says the committee declared it on Saturday (23 May), so no election_date is stored. Jaji's campaign organisation alleged irregularities, vote buying and violence and said it would take its complaints to the APC appeal committee (Daily Trust, 22 May 2026); no appeal outcome was found and INEC listed Kefas Agbu on 10 October 2026. He moved to the APC from the PDP in December 2025. His 2023 deputy, Aminu Alkali, is not on the ticket (reported ill health); running mate is Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim (INEC: Ibrahim Zainab Abubakar). INEC PDF checked with pdftotext -bbox: name and qualification cells are correctly attributed (no split error); press prints the name in both orders (Agbu Kefas / Kefas Agbu).
Dates not recorded
KEPT OUTSIDE THE DATED CHRONOLOGYPublic family connectionReviewed record
Agyin Kefas
Spouse
- Context
- A family relationship alone does not establish influence or wrongdoing
First Lady of Taraba State (styled Mrs Agyin Kefas in Daily Post, 7 July 2024). BusinessDay and Leadership profiles of 2023 name the governor's wife as Patience; whether this is one name or two was not resolved.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
Harvard Kennedy School
Executive Education certificate, Senior Executive in National and International Security · National and International Security
- Location
- United States
- Institution
- Program
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
Public family connectionReviewed record
Ibrahim Kefas
Brother
- Context
- A family relationship alone does not establish influence or wrongdoing
The late Air Commodore Ibrahim Kefas, former military administrator of Cross River State (Dec 1993 to Sep 1994) and of Delta State; died in October 2021. The kinship rests on one Leadership profile (27 May 2023); the Daily Post item only confirms the officer's office and death.
Working lifeReviewed record
Lieutenant Colonel (retired)
Nigerian Army
- Industry
- Military
- Employment
- Employee
Served 21 years in the Nigerian Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel (BusinessDay, Leadership; Premium Times calls him a retired army lieutenant colonel). Start and retirement years were not found; he held a Nigerian Defence Academy degree dated 1994 and was already styled 'Rtd' when named to a federal board on 20 December 2012.
Party membershipReviewed record
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Previous party before moving to APC; original joining date unknown. Departure recorded 2025-12-14.
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Asset disclosures
No sourced disclosure record is available here. No personal wealth figure can be inferred.
Spending & project delivery
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How sources and review work
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The Taraba State purse
As Governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas presides over Taraba State's public finances.
Taraba State's approved budget for 2026 is ₦653,631,700,000 (about ₦653.6B).
Taraba State budget 2026Taraba State received ₦110,724,292,357 (about ₦110.7B) in FAAC federal allocations between January and July 2026.
Taraba State FAAC allocations 2026Help improve the record
Community proposals (0)
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Representatives in this area
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