Cowpea, grown for its seeds and haulms in the savannahs of West Africa, is affected by drought. Drought is one of the most damaging constraints to its production with high yield losses. The study conducted at Saria Research Station, in a Fisher block design with two replicates, aimed to identify drought tolerant cowpea varieties. Forty cowpea varieties were screened for drought tolerance in February, under irrigated and non-irrigated regimes. The varieties were evaluated through various variables. Plants grown under non-stressed conditions were watered regularly from sowing to maturity while those under stressed conditions were watered from sowing to flower bud initiation. The varieties showed considerable variability in drought tolerance for the parameters 50% flowering, 95% maturity, 100-seed weight, seed weight, haulm weight and wilting percentage. Water stress had a reducing effect on chlorophyll content, 100-seed weight and seed weight. Stress tolerance index was the best criterion for evaluating genotypes for drought tolerance variability. KVx 402-5-2, 219E and Sarc-1-91-1 showed the best characteristics under both conditions and could be potential parents in the selection of drought tolerant genotypes.