BAYELSA State Governor, Douye Diri, has ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death of the state’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo, amid growing public speculation surrounding his passing.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, December 14, by the governor’s spokesman, Daniel Alabrah.
Diri appealed to residents to refrain from politicising the death and allow the state to grieve.
“I want to make an appeal. I have seen people politicising his death. In Ijaw land, there is no enmity in death. Let nobody politicise the passing of our dearly beloved deputy governor. If anyone loves him, this is the time to show it,” Diri said.
He explained that the decision to conduct an autopsy followed what he described as misleading narratives circulating on social media.
“I have directed that an autopsy be carried out to reveal the cause of his death. There is a lot of nonsense going on on social media. If anyone is issuing a statement to eulogise him, let it end there and allow us to mourn him because the state is in a mourning mood,” the governor added.
Diri also noted that the state government had declared three working days of mourning in honour of the late deputy governor.
“That is why we have declared three working days of mourning, and we expect everyone in the state to do what the former president has done today.
“Let us love one another to the point of death, because all of us will answer this call one day,” he added.
The ICIR had reported that Ewhrudjakpo collapsed on Thursday afternoon while performing official duties at the Government House in Yenagoa.
He was rushed out of his office by security aides for urgent medical attention and later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, after being received at the emergency unit. He was pronounced dead later the same day.
Born on September 5, 1965, in Ofoni, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Ewhrudjakpo rose to national political prominence in 2018 after winning the PDP’s Bayelsa West senatorial primary.
He was elected senator in 2019, defeating APC candidate Mathew Karimo.
Later in 2019, he emerged as the running mate to Douye Diri in the Bayelsa governorship election. Although the APC’s David Lyon was initially declared winner, the Supreme Court overturned the result in February 2020 over certificate irregularities involving Lyon’s running mate, paving the way for Diri and Ewhrudjakpo to assume office as governor and deputy governor.
Until his sudden death on December 11, 2025, Ewhrudjakpo served as Bayelsa State’s deputy governor for nearly six years. He was 60 years old.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M