Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, died on Thursday after collapsing in his office in Yenagoa, government and hospital officials confirmed.
Ewhrudjakpo reportedly slumped at about 1:30 p.m. while descending a staircase shortly after a meeting. He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.
Hospital sources said he arrived unconscious and was taken to the Emergency Unit before being moved to the Intensive Care Unit, where medical efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
His media aide, Doubara Atasi, confirmed the incident without offering additional details.
As news of his death spread, large crowds gathered at the hospital, prompting security personnel to tighten access around the facility.
Born on September 5, 1965, Ewhrudjakpo had served as deputy governor since 2020. He previously represented Bayelsa West in the Senate and was Commissioner for Works under former Governor Seriake Dickson.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, also confirmed his death, describing the development as “inexplicable.”
Ewhrudjakpo, 60, had recently been at the centre of political tensions in the state. He was one of the top officials who refused to defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside Governor Douye Diri.
The relationship between the deputy governor and Governor Diri had reportedly deteriorated after Ewhrudjakpo declined to resign from the PDP on October 15. His refusal triggered moves within the House of Assembly to impeach him, a process he challenged in court.
On October 27, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order restraining the Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment.
