Bayelsa State was plunged into mourning on Thursday after Deputy Governor Senator Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo died suddenly at age 60, hours after collapsing in his Government House office.

Witnesses said Ewhrudjakpo slumped around 1:30 p.m. while descending a staircase during a meeting. Aides rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, where doctors attempted resuscitation in the ICU but confirmed cardiac arrest as the preliminary cause of death.

His media aide Doubara Atasi issued a somber statement: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our esteemed Deputy Governor.” The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which Ewhrudjakpo loyally represented despite recent defections, described his death as an “inexplicable loss and indescribable pain,” praising him as a “trusted, faithful party man” and “person of conviction.”

Born September 5, 1965, Ewhrudjakpo was a lawyer-turned-politician and close ally of former Governor Seriake Dickson. He served as Bayelsa’s Works Commissioner (2012–2019), represented Bayelsa West in the Senate (2019–2020), and became deputy governor under Douye Diri in 2020. Notably, he refused to follow Diri’s November 2025 defection to the APC, instead suing the Assembly over an alleged impeachment plot and securing a Federal High Court injunction in October.

Tributes poured in nationwide. Governor Dapo Abiodun, chair of the Southern Governors’ Forum, mourned him as “a dependable ally whose life of service will be remembered.” PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong extended condolences to Bayelsa and Ewhrudjakpo’s family. Flags were lowered to half-mast in Yenagoa as the state grappled with the sudden leadership vacuum.

His passing, amid political turbulence in Bayelsa, underscores both his steadfast loyalty to the PDP and the fragility of Nigeria’s political landscape.