The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has recounted how the late Chief Daniel Orbih played a key role in his emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015.
Wike made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday at a night of tributes held in honour of Orbih, the former National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South South.
Orbih, who hailed from Etsako in Edo State, died on Aug. 31 at the age of 64.
Wike recalled the intense political pressure and inducements Orbih resisted while supporting his governorship ambition.
He traced their close relationship to the critical political period between 2013 and 2014, which he described as a turbulent era when political opponents made efforts to frustrate his ambition.
“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.
Recalling the pressure mounted by his political opponents, including the then Governor of Rivers State, Wike said various inducements were offered to Orbih to withdraw his support, but he remained steadfast.
“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.’
Wike said that, as the PDP’s National Vice-Chairman for the South South, Orbih supported his campaign by donating two bulletproof Mercedes-Benz buses and mobilising political support across the region.
He described Orbih as selfless, saying that throughout his eight years as Governor of Rivers State, the late politician never approached him for personal favours, patronage or government contracts.
“Dan is not a typical Nigerian politician. Throughout my eight years as governor, he never came for one day either by phone or by coming to my house to say, ‘I need this contract.’ Never,” he said.
Wike said Orbih’s loyalty and commitment 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.
The FCT minister stated that Orbih’s efforts in protecting the political interests of the South South contributed to the emergence of several lawmakers at both national and state levels.
He also recalled Orbih’s role in promoting political collaboration in Edo State and supporting politicians across party lines, despite not personally benefiting from such efforts.
Wike said Orbih deserved a state burial in recognition of his contributions to political development in Edo State and urged stakeholders in the state to consider the matter.
“I will continue to keep my relationship with Dan’s family. I think I will also discuss with the family how to keep the legacies of Dan,” he said.
Also speaking, Sen. Magnus Abe, Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, said Orbih played a major role in his entry into politics.
Abe said he served as the Director-General of Orbih’s first campaign when he contested the governorship election on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party.
“I was the director-general of his first campaign in the United Nigeria Congress Party when he ran for governor, and I went everywhere in Edo with him.
“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,” he said.
Similarly, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North in the Senate and a former Governor of Edo State, said Orbih’s political opposition made him a better governor.
“So my happiness today is that Dan and I, whatever our political differences we might have had, the truth is, Dan made me a better governor.
“So, when I’m making a decision, the first thing I’ll ask is, ‘If this goes out today, what is Dan Orbih going to say?’
“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 contributions to unity and development.
“Please take consolation from the fact that your father built bridges of unity, of progress, and he never did that at the expense of family, and he was committed to the growth and development of the Ogbona Kingdom.”
He also thanked Wike for helping to reconcile him with Orbih after a prolonged political disagreement.
“It was right at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt that Dan and I started hugging,” he said.
In his tribute, the 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,” he said.
