Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has directed that an autopsy be carried out to determine the cause of death of the state’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
Diri made this known on Saturday while hosting former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Government House in Yenagoa.
Ewhrudjakpo died on Thursday after collapsing in his office. He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The governor condemned what he described as “a lot of nonsense going on on social media” over the deputy governor’s death, warning that the tragedy must not be politicised.
“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,” Diri said.
“If anybody 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.”
Diri urged the public to restrict themselves to eulogies and mourning, noting that the state government had declared three working days of mourning in honour of the late deputy governor.
“If anybody is issuing any statement to eulogise him, please end at that and mourn him because the state is in a mourning mood,” he said.
“Let us love one another to the point of death because all of us will answer this call one day.”
Speaking during the visit, former President Goodluck Jonathan described Ewhrudjakpo as a committed public servant he would never forget.
Jonathan said the late deputy governor worked exceptionally hard, even more than he did when he served as deputy governor of the state.
“For me, he was somebody my foundation and I will never forget. He represented the governor in all our programmes,” Jonathan said.
He recalled Ewhrudjakpo’s active involvement in events organised by the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Foundation in Ghana and Abuja, describing his death as a painful loss to the state.
“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,” Jonathan added.
The former president prayed for God to console Bayelsa State and the immediate family of the late deputy governor, expressing hope that the state would not experience such a tragedy again.
