A 55 year old  pastor Essa  Ogorry of the Fulfilling Word Foundation Church, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, in Rivers State is dead.

The pastor who trended on the social media few weeks ago for refusing to wed a couple who came few minutes late to church died on Tuesday February 16.

Report says that pastor Essa’s wife, Tonyemieba Essa-Ogorry, also died on the same date a year ago, Feb 16, 2020.

A member of the church, Engr. Benny Osinachi, took to Facebook to claim that the deceased pastor was sick, he had to travel from Lagos to port Harcourt to wed the couple who came late to church.

Another source close to the pastor said; “My pastor has gone on to be with the Lord. He had health issues even before the wedding saga. We took him to the hospital and he had to come from Lagos to attend the wedding.

“He tried to preach the Sunday after the wedding but he was not in his normal strength. He went back to the hospital and he gave up yesterday (Tuesday) morning.”

“He celebrated his 55th birthday on February 9, last week. He lost his wife last year, on February 16, 2020, the same date,” the source added.

Speaking on the ‘cancelled’ wedding, the source said the groom and the bride signed a document that the pastor has the right not to join them together as husband and wife if they come late on the wedding day.

The source also said the viral ‘cancelled’ wedding which occurred on February 6, 2021, was not the first of such but added that the late preacher usually did join intending couples later on the same day after entreaties. The source noted that the February 6 incident was different as the groom rained insults on the pastor.

In his words; “He (Ogorry) came that day and waited for five minutes. Before the day, he did interviews with the intending couple and he told them not to allow him look bad in the face of the congregation because that kind of thing had happened before when intending couples come so late and all the members will be waiting for them.

“For that reason, there is a document that every to-be couple sign that pastor has the right to cancel their wedding if they are late. The to-be couple in question signed it. They came more than five minutes late, they came over 15 minutes late and pastor had already gone into his office as he was not feeling well.

“The bride came to pastor and pleaded. Pastor considered going on with the wedding. He requested that he join them in his office as he wasn’t feeling well but the groom and his family rained insults on him. Then, an uproar ensued and pastor left the church.”

According to the source, the church leaders and the family of the late pastor will meet to decide on the funeral arrangements.