Wike mourns ally Dan Orbih: “I lost a true friend”

Nyesom Wike said he had lost both a close friend and a committed political ally after the death of Dan Orbih, a senior Peoples Democratic Party figure from Nigeria’s South-South region.

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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.

Orbih’s family announced that he died on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. A statement signed by Francis Udukhomoi Orbih described him as a beloved brother, husband, father and uncle.

In a condolence message issued through his senior special assistant for public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, Wike called the death painful and a major loss to Edo State’s political community. He said Orbih was “everything anyone could desire in friendship and political associate.”

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a friend indeed

Wike also described Orbih as “a friend indeed” and compared his death to “the fall of one of the biggest trees in the political forest of Edo State.” He offered condolences to Orbih’s family, prayed for the repose of his soul and asked for strength for those left behind. Orbih is survived by his wife, Florence, his children, Winifred Anwosiobor Orbih and Dr Mildred Omonemi Orbih, as well as siblings and other extended family members.

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the fall of one of the biggest trees in the political forest of Edo State