Egalitarian Voice Media reported on Wednesday that Rotimi Akeredolu, the Executive Governor of Ondo State, had passed away at the age of 67.
Akeredolu died after treating leukaemia and prostrate cancer for an extended period.
We examined two other Nigerian governors who died while serving their states and found that one was also a victim of leukaemia.
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PATRICK IBRAHIM YAKOWA
Patrick Yakowa was the Governor of Kaduna State until his death in December 2012. He was killed in a helicopter crash that happened while he was travelling from Bayelsa to Port Harcourt.
Yakowa became the governor of Kaduna in 2011 after he won the state elections on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He contested in the Kaduna State elections after Namadi Sambo, a former Vice President of Nigeria, was picked as ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s running mate.
Yakowa only served as governor for two years, and at the time of his death, he was 64.
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MAMMAN BELLO ALI
Similar to Akeredolu, Mamman Bello, a former governor of Yobe State, died of leukaemia in 2009 while still serving as governor.
He was elected to power under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007.
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Before his governorship seat, he represented the Yobe South Senatorial District in the Senate, where he was also the chairman of the committee on public account for eight years.
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