The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has recounted how the late Chief Daniel Orbih played a crucial role in his emergence as governor of Rivers State in 2015.
Wike spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a night of tributes organized in honor of Orbih, the former National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the South-South. Orbih, a prominent politician from Etsako in Edo State, died on Aug. 31 at the age of 64.
Wike described Orbih as a loyal friend and political ally who resisted intense pressure and financial inducements to support his governorship ambition during the turbulent political period of 2013 and 2014.
“Today I am a Minister of the FCT; yesterday I was a governor. Who did God use for me to become governor? It was Dan,” Wike said.
He recalled how political opponents, including the then Rivers governor, allegedly mounted pressure on Orbih to withdraw his support, offering him what he described as massive inducements.
“There was nothing in this world that was not done to induce him. My governor then sent people to Dan, offered him everything in this world, but Dan stood firm and said, ‘No, I will not accept, I will not agree,’” he said.
Wike said Orbih, who was then the PDP National Vice-Chairman, South-South, also supported his campaign by donating two bulletproof Mercedes-Benz buses for his security and mobilizing political structures across the region.
The FCT minister praised Orbih’s selflessness, noting that throughout his eight years as Rivers governor, the late politician never approached him for contracts, appointments or personal favors.
“Dan is not a typical Nigerian politician. Throughout my eight years as governor, he never came for one day—either by phone or coming to my house to say, ‘I need this contract.’ Never,” Wike said.
He said Orbih’s loyalty, commitment, and willingness to stand by friends during difficult times were values deeply rooted in his family.
“The only way I can identify a politician that is reliable is when that politician has stood in times of crisis. Loyalty, commitment to friendship, and being a brother’s keeper run in Dan’s family,” he said.
Wike further said Orbih’s influence as PDP National Vice-Chairman in the South-South helped protect the political interests of the region and contributed to the emergence of several lawmakers at the national and state levels.
He described Orbih as a strategic politician who laid the foundation for cross-party collaboration in Edo State and supported several politicians without seeking personal benefits.
Wike called for a state burial for Orbih in recognition of his contributions to the political development of Edo State.
He also pledged to maintain a close relationship with the deceased’s family and work with them to preserve his legacies.
The Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Sen. Magnus Abe, said Orbih was responsible for introducing him to politics.
Abe recalled serving as Director-General of Orbih’s first governorship campaign under the United Nigeria Congress Party, saying he traveled across Edo State with him during the campaign.
“Dan was indeed a bridge builder par excellence. We are gathered here today not because Dan is dead. We are gathered because of the life that he lived and that life impacted all of us in so many different ways,” Abe said.
Similarly, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North in the Senate and a former governor of the state, said Orbih’s political opposition helped make him a better governor.
“So my happiness today is that Dan and I, whatever the political differences we might have had, the truth is, Dan made me a better governor,” Oshiomhole said.
He recalled that whenever he was faced with a major decision as governor, he considered how Orbih and the opposition would interpret it.
“Each time I abstain from doing something because of what the opposition led by Dan will interpret to the people, before I do it, I will be better prepared. That is why I say Dan helped me to be a better governor,” he said.
Oshiomhole urged Orbih’s family to take solace in his legacy of building bridges of unity and progress, and in his contributions to the development of his community, without neglecting his family.
He also thanked Wike for helping to reconcile him with Orbih after years of political differences, recalling that their renewed friendship began at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt.
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“It was right at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt that Dan and I started hugging,” he said.
In his tribute, PDP presidential candidate Sen. Sandy Onor described Orbih as “a profound public intellectual, a quintessential lover of Edo people, a defender of Edo heritage, a Nigerian patriot and a social colossus.”
“Dan was a great man by every measure, a true family man, a great husband, and a worthy father,” Onor said.
, Nyesom Wike, has recounted how the late Chief Daniel Orbih played a crucial role in his emergence as governor of Rivers State in 2015.){kind=link}