A former Senior Special Assistant on Youth Development to Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Nasko Egei, has died at Aridolf Resort Wellness and Spa, a hotel owned by former First Lady, Patience Jonathan.
Egei is also a member of the All Progressives Congress in the state. He reportedly died in the hotel on Isaac Boro Expressway, Yenagoa, the state capital, on Friday.
Two versions emerged regarding what led to the death of the father of two said to be in his late 30s. The first version claimed that the deceased was allegedly poisoned by his female companion who was with him in the hotel.
The other account indicated that the deceased died peacefully in his sleep in one of the hotel rooms.
A kinsman of Egei who spoke on condition of anonymity said the deceased hailed from Amassoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
The kinsman, who is an APC leader in the state, urged the management of the hotel to unravel what led to Egei’s death.
He said the Close Circuit Television in the room should be examined to know what happened.
It was, however, learnt from a source close to the hotel that the hotel’s CCTV was faulty.
SUNDAY PUNCH further learnt that the deceased was found naked in the room.
A friend of the deceased identified only as CastedDude wrote on his facebook page that Egei had planned to contest a seat in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly before his demise.
He wrote, “It’s a sad moment for the family and friends of former Senior Special Assistant to the Bayelsa Governor on Youth Development, Torukori Nasko Egei, who died tragically on Friday in Bayelsa state.’’
Another person, Bodmas Kemepadei, wrote on his Facebook page, “A young man who is not sick cannot just die like that.’’
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident, saying investigations had already commenced.
Butswat said the police had yet to ascertain the cause of Egei’s death.
He said, “It has not been established whether he was poisoned or not. At this point, we won’t be able to establish whether he was poisoned and who poisoned him. But we will look at the people he was with the previous night before the incident. By the time we carry out a post-mortem, it will determine what led to his death.”
Meanwhile, despite the speculation that there was a rift between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Dickson, Jonathan’s kinsmen have passed a vote of confidence in Dickson.
Political leaders, both elected and appointed, stakeholders and other prominent personalities from Ogbia, Jonathan’s local government area, on Friday, converged on Yenagoa, to mobilise for 2019 election.
The kinsmen, who solicited support from the people for Dickson, recalled that the governor was one of the few forces that worked behind the scene to provide the needed support and encouragement that enabled Jonathan to succeed in all the offices he had occupied.
The kinsmen, under the aegis of the Peoples Democratic Party Ogbia Restoration Caucus, said even after Jonathan’s presidency, Dickson hosted him to a heroic reception in appreciation of his service to Nigeria.
The Chairman of the group, George Okirinya, said the caucus had followed the role Dickson played at the national level of the party.
Okirinya said, “Dickson has provided uncommon leadership and political sagacity which qualified him to be a true and accomplished party man, galvanising support for the leadership of the PDP for stability ahead of the coming elections.’’
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the meeting of the Ogbia PDP caucus was an indication of unity among the politicians and stakeholders in the area.
