Independent Liberal Party (ILP) Tobago Regional Coordinator Lionel Coker is dead.
A member of the ILP’s national executive, Coker was described by ILP political leader Jack Warner as a proud Tobagonian who was deeply dedicated to the island of his birth.
Coker's body was found motionless in his family's home at Shirvan Road near Mt. Pleasant on April 23 by his nephew.
The cause of death is unknown, but the Guardian understands that he may have suffered a heart attack. A police source told the Guardian that Coker was found naked in a bedroom, frothing from the mouth.
Speaking to the media, Assistant Commissioner of Police for Tobago Garfield Moore said foul play is not suspected but the investigation is continuing.
The Guardian understands that Coker's wife was in the process of filing a missing person report at the Old Grange Police Station when she received the news.
District Medical Officer Dr. Rawlins-Sebro ordered the body removed to the Scarborough Hospital mortuary. An autopsy is to be conducted soon.
Coker was a founding member of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), but tendered his resignation as chairman and member of the party on August 2, 2013, after the party's defeat at the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) polls. He applied to the ILP for membership on August 14, and was made Regional Coordinator for Tobago some time later.
Christlyn Moore, interim political leader of the newly formed Tobago Forwards political party said in a Facebook post yesterday that Coker's passing has left her in "absolute shock and dismay". She said he was "a passionate political advocate whose positions were always well articulated in his regular newspaper columns. He was always determined to play a role in Tobago’s development and was loath to sit on the sidelines."