Mohammed Umar Bago is the Governor of Niger State. A former banker, he represented Chanchaga in the House of Representatives for twelve years and ran for Speaker in 2019 before winning the governorship in 2023.1
Early life and career
Bago was born in Minna on 22 February 1974. He studied political science at Usmanu Danfodiyo University and took postgraduate degrees in management and finance. He worked at UBA, FCMB and Afribank before entering politics in 2007.1
House of Representatives
Elected for Chanchaga in 2011, he served three terms and chaired the House committee on maritime safety, education and administration. In 2019 he challenged the party’s choice for Speaker and came second to Femi Gbajabiamila.1
Governor (2023–present)
Bago won the March 2023 election with 469,896 votes against 387,476 for the PDP’s Isah Liman Kantigi and took office on 29 May 2023.1 He has presented himself as a “farmer governor”, making large-scale mechanised agriculture the centre of his economic plan, while banditry continues in parts of the state.2
In May 2026 the APC declared him its unopposed governorship candidate for 2027.3
