•Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri, has directed that an autopsy be conducted to determine the cause of death of the state’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The governor gave the directive yesterday while hosting former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Government House, Yenagoa, reports Sunday Vanguard.
Ewhrudjakpo reportedly collapsed in his office on Thursday and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Diri condemned what he described as “a lot of nonsense going on on social media” over the death, warning against attempts to politicise the passing of the deputy governor.
“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,” the governor said.
“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.”
Speaking during the visit, Jonathan described the late Ewhrudjakpo as someone he would never forget, saying the deputy governor played an active role in the activities of his foundation.
“For me, he was somebody my foundation and I will never forget. He represented the governor in all our programmes,” Jonathan said, adding that Ewhrudjakpo worked harder in the role than he did when he served as deputy governor of the state.
