Ngige: 'How I Was Taken to Dreaded Okija Voodoo Shrine in The Midnight,' APC Chieftain Opens Up
- Chris Ngige is a former governor, ex-minister, and member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Ngige was severely criticised for appearing at the dreaded Okija voodoo shrine during his campaign to be made governor
- In a new interview, Ngige narrated how he was taken to the shrine to keep his side of agreement to his political godfathers on winning a gubernatorial election
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering elections, politics, and governance in Nigeria.
Awka, Anambra state - Chris Ngige, former minister of labour and employment, has spoken on how he was taken to Okija shrine to swear an oath of loyalty in his quest to become the governor of Anambra state.
Ngige spoke in an interview with Vanguard, published on Saturday, August 9.
Source: Facebook
'Ngige taken to Okija Shrine by force'
He explained:
"I was taken to Okija shrine by force. By midnight, I didn’t know where we were going, and it was a few days to my election. So they said we must go there to swear an oath of loyalty. Of course, I know that those shrines and those small deities don’t work. God Almighty is above all of them. So I went with my Bible and holy water. When we got there and I looked at what they were doing, one of them now opted to go and swear for me.
"I said, fine and he did. But when I became governor and the security report showed what they were doing there, swindling people, I don’t know how it happened, but the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo gave instruction to my CP through the IGP, that the place should be dismantled. The CP called me and we went and leveled the place. So, that particular shrine is no longer there. But there are so many little shrines in Okija. It’s now that people have forsaken those things, having noted that it was being operated by a swindling gang."
Legit.ng recalls that the Nigerian police discovered dozens of corpses at Okija shrine in 2004.
The raid, led by then-commissioner of police (CP) Felix Ogbaudu, resulted in the arrest of over 40 native doctors, keepers, and attendants, along with the recovery of over 70 dead bodies and skulls. The discovery sparked public interest and raised concerns about ritual killings and the role of traditional practices in Nigerian politics.
Source: Facebook
Ngige served as minister under now-late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari's administration from 2015 to 2023. He was elected senator for Anambra Central constituency in April 2011. He was the governor of Anambra state from May 2003 to March 2006 under the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2022, he indicated interest in becoming Nigeria's president, but pulled out of the 2023 presidential race to retain his ministerial seat.
Ngige’s withdrawal from the APC presidential primary which was held in June 2022 and the 2023 elections followed a directive by Buhari that all ministers and appointees with political ambitions quit their offices in government.
Read more on Chris Ngige:
- ICPC grills Buhari’s ex-labour minister Ngige over ‘contracts, job racketeering’
- 'Why Buhari’s administration was not a failure,' Ngige shares
Ngige recalls removal as governor
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Ngige revealed that his removal from office in 2006 was rooted in his refusal to appoint a prominent political figure and powerbroker in the state, Chris Uba, as deputy governor.
Ngige also said that he is still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even though he said he is on sabbatical.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Ngige disclosed that he never had regrets about his removal, describing the turn of events as divinely orchestrated.
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Source: Legit.ng
