The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to remain focused and steadfast, saying the party remains proud of his contributions.
The BoT members made the call when they visited Wike at his residence in Abuja to condole with him over the death of the party’s National Vice Chairman, South South, Chief Dan Orbih.
The delegation, led by the BoT Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, included Senator Zainab Kure, former Minister of Sports, Hon. Damishi Sango, and the BoT Secretary, Isah Dan-sidi, among others.
Speaking with journalists after the visit, Ohuabunwa said the delegation comprised selected BoT members from across the geopolitical zones who were available within the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the visit was primarily to sympathise with Wike over Orbih’s death and to encourage him to remain focused amid ongoing developments within the PDP.
“We came here purely for two major reasons. To condole with and console our National Leader, Barrister Nyesom Wike, on the demise of one of our great members, a pillar of the party, a consistent member of the party, Chief Dan Orbih,” he said.
Ohuabunwa described Orbih as a committed party member, a member of the BoT and a close associate of Wike.
He said the BoT delegation also came to “solidarise” with Wike and encourage him to remain focused.
“Everything he has been saying about the party is nothing but the truth,” Ohuabunwa said, adding that Wike had secured the party’s support before accepting his ministerial appointment.
He said the party had accepted Wike’s decision to serve in the Federal Government and asked him to represent its interests.
Responding, Wike thanked the BoT members for the visit and reiterated his commitment to remaining in the PDP and working with other members to rebuild the party.
He described Orbih’s death as an irreparable loss, recalling the role the late politician played in his emergence as governor of Rivers State in 2015.
“God used Dan Orbih to make me a governor. He was the Chairman of PDP in Edo State at that time, and there was a crisis in the Rivers State PDP. He chose to stand by the truth, and that’s how I became governor,” Wike said.
He expressed sadness over Orbih’s death and thanked the delegation for identifying with him.
Wike reiterated his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections, while urging PDP members and supporters to concentrate on other elective positions.
“After supporting President Tinubu in 2023, it will be wrong of me to support another person to face him when he is seeking re-election, and I have made this clear before now,” he said.
Wike, however, said his position on the presidential election should not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates and contesting elections at the sub-national level.
