…Ewhrudjakpo was reported to have collapsed at about 1:30 p.m. in his office at the Government House, Yenagoa,
BAYELSA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has ordered an autopsy on his late deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to medically ascertain the cause of his death.
The governor issued the directive on Saturday during a condolence visit by former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan to the Government House in Yenagoa, where he also met with members of the Ewhrudjakpo family. Diri said the decision was necessary in view of the numerous speculations and comments surrounding the death on social media.
Speaking during the visit, Jonathan, himself a former deputy governor of Bayelsa State, described Ewhrudjakpo’s passing as a painful loss to the state. He recalled the late deputy governor’s active role in representing Governor Diri at several programmes of the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Foundation, including the Democracy Dialogue in Benin, Edo State.
“For me, he was someone my foundation and I will never forget. He represented the governor in all our programmes,” Jonathan said, adding that Ewhrudjakpo also mobilised members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and the Executive Council to events in Accra, Ghana, and Abuja, including the foundation’s 10th anniversary celebration on November 20.
Jonathan noted that Bayelsa was always represented at his events and described the situation as a sad moment for all. He further praised Ewhrudjakpo’s humility and dedication to duty, observing that he worked tirelessly and rarely rested.
“I was also a deputy governor, but he worked harder than I did. This should remind us of the need to find time to rest,” Jonathan said, while praying that the state would not experience a similar tragedy again and that God would comfort the immediate family.
Governor Diri expressed gratitude to Jonathan for being the first to pay an official condolence visit to the state government and the bereaved family. He warned against politicising the death, particularly on social media, and urged the public to honour Ewhrudjakpo’s memory instead.
“I have seen people politicise his death. In Ijaw land, there is no enmity in death. Let nobody politicise the passing of our dearly beloved deputy governor,” Diri said.
He added that an autopsy had been approved to establish the cause of death, stressing that the state was in a period of mourning and had declared three working days of official mourning in honour of the late deputy governor.
“If anyone truly loved him, this is the time to show it. Let us mourn him and stop the needless speculation,” the governor said.
Diri and Jonathan later visited the late deputy governor’s wife, Barrister Beatrice Ewhrudjakpo, at their residence within the Government House.
Ewhrudjakpo was reported to have collapsed at about 1:30 p.m. in his office at the Government House, Yenagoa, and was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, where he was subsequently confirmed dead.
