How someone asked me to pay $10,000 to marabouts for rituals to make me Governor’
How someone asked me to pay $10,000 to marabouts for rituals to make me Governor’
Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri has attributed his political success to his unwavering faith in God, which he believes earned him the title of “Miracle Governor.”
Speaking at the KOLGA (Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area) Annual Day of Thanksgiving in Sampou, his hometown, Diri recounted an extraordinary encounter from 2020.
The governor shared that a senior citizen had invited him to Abuja and suggested performing rituals to secure victory in the governorship race.
At the time, Diri was challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner of the November 2019 election, with the matter still pending in the Supreme Court.
Diri explained that the senior citizen had even arranged for marabouts from Senegal to perform the rituals, but he categorically refused the offer.
When the man insisted on a refund for the money spent bringing the marabouts into the country, Diri was forced to pay $10,000.
The governor stressed that his steadfast faith in God led him to reject the supernatural alternatives, confident that divine intervention would prevail.
He emphasised that God had proven His faithfulness, defying the odds and ensuring his victory.
Diri called on fellow politicians to draw lessons from his experience, urging them to place their trust in God rather than relying on human schemes.
He also noted the progress made in KOLGA, celebrating the region’s development and expressing gratitude for the local government’s legislative support in institutionalizing the Thanksgiving Day event.
The governor extended his thanks to Apostle David Zilly Aggrey, the event’s convener, and to everyone who has helped sustain the program over the years.
Diri said: “I thank God and also thank Apostle David Zilly Aggrey because he started this event. And because his prayers were heard, God made it possible to bring me in and today, it is by law that all Kolokuma/Opokuma people can gather to praise God.
“Let me reveal to you why it is important to thank God and have faith in Him. Sometime ago, a senior citizen of this country invited me to Abuja and asked me to perform certain sacrifices but I declined. I told him my faith in God would not allow me to do it. He got angry and told me I would never become governor.
“He told me that he had spent $10,000 to bring the people for the sacrifice and asked for a refund, which I obliged.
“When the Supreme Court’s pronouncement came, the man was shocked and could not call me. Sadly, he passed on after some time.
“The story I have narrated was witnessed by my deputy and a friend in Abuja as both of them accompanied me to visit the senior citizen.
“Kolokuma/Opokuma people have every reason to thank God. As a state, we do not want anybody to be harmed in the name of politics because we do not know who God has destined for greatness. So, I call on all of us in the political game to be very civil and recognise that there is God who rules in the affairs of man.”
