Wike mourns Dan Orbih after the PDP chieftain’s death at 64, describing the late Edo politician as a true friend and committed political ally
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Abuja mourned the death of Peoples Democratic Party National Vice Chairman for the South-South, Chief Daniel Osi Orbih, describing the late Edo politician as a true friend and committed political ally.
Also read: Hunye Seeks Deal, Not APC Showdown, Taiwo Says
Orbih died on Monday, August 31, 2026, at the age of 64, according to a statement issued by his family and signed by Francis Udukhomoi Orbih.
The family described the death as a painful loss and asked relatives, friends and well-wishers to remember the family in their prayers.
Wike, in a condolence message issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said Orbih’s death had left a profound personal and political void.
“I have lost a friend and a committed political ally. Dan Osi Orbih was everything anyone could desire in friendship and political associate. But we can’t question God, He gives, and He takes,” Wike said.
The minister described Orbih as “a friend indeed” and likened his passing to the “fall of one of the biggest trees in the political forest of Edo State”, an indication of the influence he believed the veteran politician wielded within the state.
Wike’s tribute comes against the backdrop of a long-standing political relationship between the two men.
Orbih was widely regarded as one of Wike’s closest allies within the PDP, particularly during periods of intense disagreement over the direction and leadership of the opposition party.
The relationship remained visible in February 2025, when Wike attended a South-South PDP zonal congress in Calabar at which Orbih was returned as the zone’s chairman.
The party’s national leadership subsequently disputed the validity of that congress, reflecting the broader internal crisis within the PDP at the time.
Orbih himself had defended his friendship with Wike despite political differences within the PDP. In a 2025 interview, Orbih said his party membership could not determine whom he considered a friend.
“My membership of PDP cannot determine those who are my friends and those who should be my enemies,” Orbih said.
That relationship became one of the defining features of Orbih’s later political career, particularly as factions within the PDP wrestled over control of the party’s structures and strategy ahead of future elections.
Orbih had also built a significant political profile in Edo State, where he served as a major PDP organiser and strategist before taking on a prominent role within the party’s South-South leadership.
His death represents a notable loss for the PDP and Edo’s political establishment.
Wike also commiserated with Orbih’s immediate family, describing the deceased as “a good friend, a great politician, and a man of faith in the Almighty God”.
Orbih is survived by his wife, Florence Orbih; his children, Winifred Anwosiobor Orbih and Dr Mildred Omonemi Orbih; his siblings and other members of his extended family.
As the family prepares to announce funeral arrangements, tributes are expected to continue from political associates and members of the PDP who worked with Orbih during his long career in Nigerian politics.
Also read: Hunye Seeks Deal, Not APC Showdown, Taiwo Says
For Wike, however, the loss is also deeply personal. His description of Orbih as a “true friend” captures a relationship that endured beyond the often shifting alliances of Nigerian party politics.
