Chief James Onanefe Ibori
Governor: 1999 – 2007
Chief James Onanefe Ibori was born to the family of late Chief Ukavbe Ibori and Mrs. Comfort Oji Ibori of Otefe in Oghara clan, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, on August 4th, 1959.
He attended Baptist High School, Oghareki, now Oghareki Grammar School, before proceeding to the University of Benin where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics after which moved to London, UK, in the early 1980s.
Returning to Nigeria between 1994 and 1997, Chief James Onanefe Ibori served as consultant to the federal government of President Sani Abacha, in the areas of public policy formulation and implementation.
Chief James Onanefe Ibori’s political career began in 1990 when he joined the National Republican Convention (NRC). In 1991, he was nominated to contest for the Federal House of Representatives seat to represent Ethiope federal constituency.
When the Transitional Program of president Sani Abacha began, he joined the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). The GDM managed a number of local, state and federal offices, including one of the three senatorial seats in the state. The transition program was abruptly ended with the death of Abacha. He then with the leaders of other extinct political groups in Delta State, formed the Delta National Congress (DNC).
The DNC later merged with other political parties to become the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). It was on the platform of PDP that Chief James Onanefe Ibori then contested and won the January 9, 1999 election. In 2003, he was re-elected as governor for another four -year term after which he was succeeded by Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan in 2007.
