Senator Okowa was the running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, while Wike is currently serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and the immediate past governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade, have been ranked first, second and third respectively on the list of former governors who left high domestic debt profile for their successors.
Senator Okowa was the running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, while Wike is currently serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to the data released by a data tech company, Statsense Consult Limited, popularly known as Statsense, Okowa left a domestic debt of N465.4 billion for his successor, Sheriff Oborevwori, while Wike left a domestic debt of N225.51 billion for his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, and Ayade left a domestic debt of N204.05 billion for his successor, Bassey Otu.
Other former governors in the list and the domestic debt inherited by their successors include Udom Gabriel Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state, N199.58 billion; Samuel Ortom of Benue State, N186.94 billion; Simon Lalong of Plateau State, N157.62 billion; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, N142.47 billion; Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, N122.36 billion; Abubakar Bello of Niger State, N121.95 billion and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, N96.31 billion.
Others are Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, N93.2 billion; Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, N91.68 billion; Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, N87.28 billion; Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, N83.13 billion; David Umahi of Ebonyi State, N76.14 billion Aminu Bello of Katsina State, N62.37 billion; Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, N60.94 billion and Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State, N43.13 billion.