Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has directed that an autopsy be carried out on his late deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to medically determine the cause of his death.
Diri gave the directive during a condolence visit by former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to him and the Ewhrudjakpo family on Saturday at the Government House, Yenagoa, noting that a lot was being said about the death on social media.
Jonathan, who was also once a deputy governor of the state, described the death as a sad moment for all Bayelsans and recalled how Ewhrudjakpo represented Diri and mobilised the state House of Assembly and Executive Council to the Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue programme in Benin, Edo State.
He said, “For me, he was somebody my foundation and I will never forget. He represented the governor in all our programmes.
“This year in Accra, Ghana, he did the same. On November 20 this year, he also mobilised assembly members and commissioners to Abuja to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Foundation.
“Whenever I am having a programme, Bayelsa State is always represented. It is quite a sad moment for all of us.”
Jonathan described Ewhrudjakpo as very humble, saying nobody had anything negative to say about him.
“I was also a deputy governor, but he worked harder than me. He appeared not to rest. This is even a lesson for us all to find time to rest.
“We pray that this state does not experience this ugly incident again. We pray God to cushion the effect of the sad incident on the state, particularly on the immediate family.”
Diri thanked Jonathan for being the first person to officially pay a condolence visit to the government and the Ewhrudjakpo family.
He cautioned those politicising the unfortunate incident, particularly on social media, to desist and instead eulogise the memory of the man, whom he said served the state with all his heart.
He said, “I want to make an appeal. I have seen people politicise his death. In Ijaw land, there is no enmity in death. Let nobody politicise the death of our dearly beloved deputy governor. If anyone loves him, this is the time to show it.
“I have directed that an autopsy be done to reveal the cause of his death. There is a lot of nonsense going on on social media. If anybody is issuing any statement to eulogise him, please end at that and mourn him because the state is in a mourning mood.
“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.”
Governor Diri and the former president later visited the wife of the late deputy governor, Barr. Beatrice Ewhrudjakpo, at their residence in Government House.
Ewhrudjakpo reportedly slumped around 1:30 p.m. in his office at the Government House, Yenagoa, and was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, where he was later pronounced dead.