Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has narrated how he paid $10,000 to marabouts from Senegal who were contracted on his behalf to spiritually facilitate his emergence as governor.
However, he clarified that he ultimately rejected the ritual. Speaking during the KOLGA (Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area) Annual Day of Thanksgiving in Sampou, his community, Diri shared that his unwavering faith in God earned him the title of ‘Miracle Governor.’
He recounted an incident in 2020 when a senior citizen invited him to Abuja and advised him to perform certain rituals if he wanted to become governor. Diri said he declined the offer, stating that his faith in God would not allow him to resort to such measures.
Diri, a candidate from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 off-cycle governorship election, had initially lost to the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief David Lyon. However, Diri challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration of Lyon as the winner, and ultimately won at the Supreme Court.
Governor Diri’s spokesman, Daniel Alabrah, quoted him as saying that the senior citizen, who had flown in marabouts from Senegal to perform the rituals, became upset when Diri rejected the offer and demanded a refund for the expenses incurred in transporting the marabouts. Diri agreed to pay him $10,000 for the expenses.
He 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 will 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.”
The governor emphasized that his steadfast belief in God made him decline the offer and that God proved His faithfulness in the end. He urged politicians to trust in God rather than rely on other means for success.
Diri also expressed gratitude to the people of Kolokuma/Opokuma for their continued development and thanked the local council for passing legislation that officially recognizes the Thanksgiving Day. He acknowledged Apostle David Zilly Aggrey, the convener of the event, for his role in initiating the program and ensuring its continuity.
