Bayelsa Deputy Governor Slumps, Dies at 60

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, passed away on Monday after collapsing in his office in Yenagoa, marking a sudden end to a long career in public service.

Ewhrudjakpo reportedly slumped around 1:30 p.m. while descending a staircase shortly after a meeting and was immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, where doctors battled to revive him.

Hospital sources said he arrived unconscious and was taken to the Emergency Unit before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), but all efforts to save his life proved unsuccessful.

His media aide, Doubara Atasi, confirmed the tragic incident but did not release additional details, as security personnel intensified control around the hospital due to the large crowd of sympathizers who stormed the facility.

Born on September 5, 1965, Senator Ewhrudjakpo served as deputy governor since 2020, previously represented Bayelsa West in the Senate, and also held the position of Commissioner for Works between 2012 and 2019.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, confirmed his demise, describing the development as shocking and deeply painful.

Ewhrudjakpo, a long-time associate of Senator Seriake Dickson, was among the top officials who refused to defect with Governor Douye Diri to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a decision that heightened political tension within the state.

His relationship with Governor Diri reportedly deteriorated following his refusal to resign from the PDP on October 15, leading to impeachment plots in the House of Assembly. The late deputy governor had sued the Assembly, and on October 27, the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained lawmakers from proceeding with the impeachment move.