Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has died after collapsing in his office on Thursday evening.
According to multiple accounts, Mr Ewhrudjakpo suddenly slumped while attending to official duties and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Yenagoa.
Medical personnel at the facility confirmed his death shortly after he was brought in.
Authorities have yet to release an official cause of death, though sources suggested the deputy governor had been under intense pressure from official engagements in recent weeks.
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Mr Ewhrudjakpo’s death comes weeks after he declined to attend the defection ceremony of Governor Douye Diri, who formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in October.
After his defection, Governor Diri had stated that he would not force his deputy to join the ruling party, adding that he would continue discussions with him in hope of a favourable resolution.
Born on September 5, 1965, Ewhrudjakpo was a former federal lawmaker and had served as Bayelsa State’s deputy governor since 2020.
He had recently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, filing a suit against the Bayelsa State House of Assembly over an alleged plan to impeach him.
Ewhrudjakpo alleged that members of the House were being pressured to remove him from office.
He said the impeachment plot stemmed from his refusal to resign from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party on whose platform he and Governor Douye Diri were elected.
He further claimed that some council chairpersons were also being threatened with removal for declining to defect from the PDP alongside the governor.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
