The sudden death of the Bayelsa State deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo in his office weeks after he refused to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with governor Duoye Diri, sets many tongues wagging
Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
The Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, whose sudden death news in the office, went viral on Thursday the 11th of December, 2025, that he slumped on duty at Government House, Yenagoa and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Yenagoa, has remained a source of worry for the government of the embattled state.
Ewhrudjakpo was elected under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform as the Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District in 2019 and subsequently picked as running mate to Douye Diri in the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election in which they both won a second term.
A hospital official who preferred not to be named confirmed that the deputy governor was brought into the facility in critical condition. No official statement has been released regarding the cause of the death, but sources suggested that he may have been suffering from cardiac-related disease.
A source close to the deputy governor, speaking on condition of anonymity, hinted that exhaustion could be a factor, saying, “He is a workaholic. He should have found time to rest.”
The deputy governor’s media aide, Mr. Doubara Atasi, confirmed that his principal slumped and was taken to hospital for urgent medical attention.
The sudden death of the Bayelsa state deputy governor Ewhrudjakpo has sent many tongues wagging across the state capital as groups and individuals received the news with shock and disbelief, wondering whether the cause of his death was natural or otherwise, as no serious ailment had disturbed him throughout his eight years as commissioner and more than six years as deputy governor.
Since the incident, different reports have circulated giving different accounts about the cause of the death. According to sources, Ewhrudjakpo, a lawyer, had just returned from a public function and was preparing for a communal reconciliatory meeting in Government House when he slumped.
Security officials attached to his office, along with his aides, rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, where doctors battled for hours to stabilise him.
After the prolonged struggle to revive him, the FMC management reportedly assembled a team of cardiac specialists to transfer him to a hospital in Port Harcourt.
There are conflicting claims about where he passed away. One report said he died in the ambulance en route to Port Harcourt, while another claimed that he died at the FMC in Yenagoa.
His death has raised eyebrows as many Bayelsans suspect foul play, possibly linked to his refusal to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with his principal, Governor Diri.
Sources also said that the hardworking deputy governor faced several attacks from some politicians who viewed his stance as a betrayal, with the twenty-four-member state legislature even moving to impeach him.
Sensing the threat was real, Ewhrudjakpo approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to seek an injunction restraining the state’s legislature from removing him. He also prayed the court to bar the state’s Attorney General, the Commissioner for Justice, and the Commissioner of Police from taking any action that could undermine his duties as deputy governor.
The case was later stalled after Governor Diri intervened, assuring his deputy that no one could impeach him simply for refusing to defect the ruling APC.
It was gathered that many of the newly defected politicians have been uneasy since Ewhrudjakpo rejected several overtures to join them, as he was seen as a crowd puller and a formidable political figure.
Ewhrudjakpo was widely regarded as Governor Diri’s confidant and backbone, even more so than Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, who is said to be devastated by his death at just sixty years old.
The state chapter of the PDP confirmed his passing on and described it as a huge and painful loss to the party, his community, and Bayelsa State.
Governor Diri may be compelled to cut short his trip to the United Kingdom over the weekend as he was originally scheduled to return on December 20.
The late senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo was born on the 5th of September 1965 at Sagbama Local Government Area, of Bayalsa State and obtained several academic qualifications including a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Secretarial Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration and Law. He was called to bar in 2009. In 2023, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology conferred on him, a Doctor of Philosophy, (Ph.D) in Human Rights and Labour Law, according to Wikipedia.
