Bayelsa’s subsequent Deputy Gov: Behind-the-scenes strikes, political calculations, intrigues

The sudden loss of life of Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has triggered an intense political scramble throughout the state, with energy brokers, celebration leaders and curiosity. With Governor Diri holding the ace, stakeholders are divided over whether or not Sagbama LG ought to retain the place — or whether or not broader political concerns, together with 2027 permutations, will in the end form the choice, LINUS EFFIONG studies

Simply weeks after surviving a bitter political storm, Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, was gone.

The 60-year-old politician, who stood his floor when the state’s political panorama shifted beneath his ft, died on Thursday, December 11, 2025, bringing to a sudden finish a profession outlined — in his last months — by loyalty, defiance and quiet resilience.

When Governor Douye Diri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress on November 3, Ewhrudjakpo refused to observe. Whereas a number of state officers crossed over with the governor, he selected to stay within the PDP, the celebration he had lengthy recognized with.

That call set off months of unease throughout the state’s political institution. Rumours swirled of a plot to interchange him with a extra compliant ally. In response, the deputy governor took the extraordinary step of suing the Bayelsa State Home of Meeting to forestall any transfer in opposition to him — a swimsuit he later withdrew after Diri’s intervention paved the best way for an out-of-court settlement.

Then got here the shock.

Ewhrudjakpo slumped in his workplace in Yenagoa and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, the place docs pronounced him lifeless. The suddenness of all of it shocked the state.

Solely hours earlier, at precisely 11:48am, he had posted images on his Fb web page exhibiting him in a gathering at Authorities Home with UNICEF Nation Consultant in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed. There have been no outward indicators that it could be his last public engagement.

Tributes poured in from throughout Nigeria, many describing him as a “gentleman” and an unrelenting workaholic. Former President Goodluck Jonathan referred to as him “a faithful steward of Bayelsa, a patriot, and a loyal servant of our state and nation.”

“All through his years in public service, he demonstrated an unwavering ardour for the welfare of our folks and earned the respect and admiration of many throughout the nation,” Jonathan stated.

However whilst tributes continued, political calculations quietly resumed.

Behind the scenes, lobbying intensified as consideration shifted to who would fill the vacant workplace. His loss of life has now ignited a recent debate over zoning and fairness, with many insisting that equity calls for the subsequent deputy governor emerge from Sagbama Native Authorities Space, the late Ewhrudjakpo’s dwelling base.

For Bayelsa, the mourning is actual. However so too is the facility wrestle that has already begun.

The facility play

If the battle for Bayelsa’s deputy governorship has a silent command centre, many consider it lies with Seriake Dickson.

The previous governor and now senator is broadly thought to be essentially the most formidable drive able to shaping the succession dialog. But, in public, he has struck a cautious tone — insisting he has not been consulted by Governor Douye Diri and stressing that the selection of a brand new deputy is solely the governor’s constitutional prerogative.

Few in Yenagoa take that at face worth.

Observers of Bayelsa’s intricate political chessboard argue that such restraint is typical Dickson — measured phrases masking strategic endurance. His relationship with Diri has remained outwardly cordial, even heat. He has overtly supported the governor’s administration and pointed would-be aspirants away from his doorstep, advising them as a substitute to foyer the person who holds the ultimate pen.

However beneath that public posture, whispers persist.

Many consider Dickson is quietly rooting for his former deputy chief of employees, Hon. Ebizi Rosemary Brown Ndiomu, now representing Sagbama III within the state Home of Meeting. Her emergence, ought to it occur, wouldn’t solely protect Sagbama’s maintain on the workplace but in addition reinforce Dickson’s enduring relevance in Bayelsa’s evolving energy matrix.

In Bayelsa politics, affect isn’t declared. It’s inferred.

The Goodluck Jonathan issue

Then there’s the shadow — calm however unmistakable — of Goodluck Jonathan.

No main political resolution in Bayelsa is ever mentioned with out invoking the previous President’s title. His affect within the state stays profound, notably in his relationship with Diri.

Jonathan’s endorsement was pivotal to Diri’s re-election in 2023. On the time, the governor described that backing as “price greater than billions of naira,” a comment that underscored simply how decisive it was. Diri has repeatedly acknowledged Jonathan’s function in shaping his political ascent — from the Nationwide Meeting to Creek Haven.

Now, because the deputy governorship hangs within the stability, stakeholders consider Jonathan’s voice — whether or not spoken publicly or whispered privately — might tilt the scales.

The uncertainty, nevertheless, lies in the place that affect will fall. Will he align with Dickson’s perceived desire? Or does the previous President have a unique calculation altogether?

For now, Jonathan stays silent — and in Bayelsa, silence might be extra highly effective than speech.

Lokpobiri’s calculated presence

Hovering on the perimeters of the unfolding drama is Heineken Lokpobiri, whose rising visibility has not gone unnoticed.

A seasoned political operator, former Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Improvement, two-term senator for Bayelsa West, and now Minister of State for Petroleum, Lokpobiri possesses each federal leverage and deep-rooted native networks.

His long-standing governorship ambition isn’t any secret. Having overtly expressed curiosity in succeeding Diri, his stake within the deputy governorship calculation is evident: whoever emerges might both strengthen or complicate his 2027 pathway.

Political watchers are due to this fact learning his actions rigorously. An endorsement right here, a gathering there — every gesture is dissected for which means.

In a contest formed by loyalty, zoning, defections and future ambitions, Lokpobiri represents not only a participant, however a strategist with eyes firmly set past the instant emptiness.

And as Bayelsa mourns, the manoeuvring intensifies.

Diri on the centre of the storm

On the eye of the gathering storm is Governor Douye Diri himself.

His measured silence — and the cautious, nearly scientific manner he chooses his phrases at public occasions — has solely deepened the suspense. In a state the place each handshake is analysed and each smile decoded, Diri’s refusal to drop the slightest trace about his most popular successor has left Bayelsans guessing.

Behind closed doorways, nevertheless, the permutations are thick.

A supply near the governor confided that Diri could also be contemplating his Chief of Workers, Pastor Peter Akpe — not only a trusted aide, but in addition his maternal cousin. Akpe’s proximity to energy, administrative grip and every day entry to the governor make him a pure contender. But, for some, that closeness raises questions on optics and political messaging at a time when zoning and inclusivity dominate the dialog.

However Akpe is just not the one title on the chessboard.

Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, Managing Director and Chief Govt Officer of the Niger Delta Basin Improvement Authority, is alleged to be leveraging federal goodwill. Extensively perceived to take pleasure in a cordial relationship with President Bola Tinubu, Amgbare’s rising reward of Diri’s infrastructural strides has not gone unnoticed.

With Diri now firmly aligned with the APC and publicly backing Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, some insiders speculate {that a} delicate nod from Abuja might affect the governor’s calculus. Amgbare’s credentials — basis member of the outdated Motion Congress of Nigeria, loyal APC stalwart, 2023 presidential marketing campaign council member and former Youth and Sports activities Commissioner — place him as a bridge between Bayelsa’s outdated APC construction and the governor’s new political dwelling.

Whether or not that bridge is one Diri is prepared to cross stays the unanswered query.

Casting the online wider

Past loyalty and federal connections lies one other highly effective argument: zoning.

Many political leaders insist that Sagbama, the house base of the late Ewhrudjakpo, ought to retain the workplace within the spirit of stability and continuity. To desert that unwritten association, they warn, might unsettle delicate political understandings within the state.

If Sagbama stays the anchor, one outstanding determine is the Speaker of the Bayelsa State Home of Meeting, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere. Although representing Brass Constituency III, Ingobere has maintained a detailed and cooperative relationship with Diri. The governor has repeatedly praised him as “a stabiliser of the polity,” crediting him with fostering a rancour-free executive-legislative partnership since his re-election as Speaker in June 2023.

But, the sphere stays crowded.

Dr. Peter Akpe’s title resurfaces right here too — hardworking, administratively savvy and deeply entrenched throughout the corridors of Authorities Home. His connections to former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and First Woman Oluremi Tinubu add one other layer to his political capital.

Then there’s Dr. Dennis Otiotio, Bayelsa APC chairman from Nembe. A lawyer with a PhD and a historical past of fierce criticism of Diri — as soon as describing his administration as “a punishment to Bayelsa State” — Otiotio’s political journey took a dramatic flip when he welcomed Diri into the APC fold in November 2025. Whether or not that reconciliation interprets into consideration is one other matter solely.

In a quieter nook of the dialog is Christopher Ewhrudjakpo, elder brother of the late deputy governor and a serving aide to Diri. His attainable emergence would carry emotional weight — a gesture of continuity and comfort — however whether or not sentiment aligns with political pragmatism stays unsure.

Stakeholders weigh in

As lobbying intensifies, celebration chieftains are now not shy about projecting their preferences.

PDP stalwart Christopher Abarowe argues that the governor should stability what he describes as a “political marriage” between the APC and PDP within the state. Based on him, sure APC factions have already secured advantages, together with commissioner slots tied to the David Lyon and Lokpobiri blocs.

“The foundational APC members — the outdated guard — ought to now be thought-about,” he stated, itemizing figures resembling Prince Ebitimi Amgbare and Briya Aganaba as worthy of consideration.

On the opposite facet of the divide, APC chieftain John Asawana insists the ethical argument outweighs political arithmetic.

“To me, Sagbama ought to retain the place,” he stated. “The state is now APC. What we ought to be contemplating is integrity. Whoever the governor appoints have to be credible and never somebody already compensated with political workplace.”

And so, the traces are drawn.

Loyalty versus zoning. Federal whispers versus native equilibrium. Sentiment versus technique.

In the long run, just one signature will settle the competition — that of Governor Douye Diri. However till the announcement is made, Bayelsa stays suspended between mourning and manoeuvring, ready for the subsequent transfer in a political drama that reveals no signal of slowing.