Bayelsa State Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has died of cardiac arrest.
He was 60.
It was gathered that Ewhrudjakpo slumped in his office in the afternoon and was conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Yenagoa, the state capital.
A source revealed that a cardiologist at FMC declared him dead on arrival.
The source said: “He suffered a cardiac arrest in his office at the Government House and was rushed to the FMC. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
The source also said the remains of Ewrujakpor were immediately transported to an undisclosed mortuary in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
It was gathered that the death of the deputy governor, a close political ally of former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, and a strong politician in the state, shocked many stakeholders.
Ewhrudjakpo was first appointed by Dickson as his Commissioner for Works, a position he occupied for eight years and won the admiration of stakeholders because of his knowledge of construction and engineering despite his background as a lawyer.
Against all odds, Dickson made Ewrujakpor, who hailed from his Sagbama Local Government Area, a deputy governor despite the opposition against his candidacy.
The late deputy governor, who was born on September 5, 1965, refused to join his principal, Governor Douye Diri, when he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), preferring to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
His shocking death happened amid speculations that he was on his way out of the PDP for an unnamed political party.
