The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the late Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Daniel Orbih, rejected offers to withdraw support for his 2015 governorship bid.
Wike spoke on Wednesday at a night of tributes held in Abuja for Orbih, who died on August 31 at the age of 64.
The FCT minister said political opponents sent emissaries to Orbih with various offers, but the late politician refused to abandon his support.
“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 added, “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 Orbih also supported his campaign by donating two bulletproof Mercedes-Benz buses for security and helping to mobilise political structures across the South-South.
He added that Orbih did not seek personal benefits from their political relationship.
“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.
“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.
He also attributed Orbih’s political influence to his role in the careers of several South-South politicians and his efforts to build relationships across political divides.
Wike called on the Edo State government to consider a state burial for Orbih, citing his contributions to the state’s political development.
“I will continue to keep my relationship with Dan’s family. I think I will also discuss with the family on how to keep the legacies of Dan,” he said.
Also speaking, former Edo State governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, said his political disagreements with Orbih made him more accountable during his time as governor.
Oshiomhole said Orbih’s position as an opposition leader often made him consider how the late politician and his supporters would scrutinise his decisions.
“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,” Oshiomhole said.
He recalled that Wike helped reconcile him with Orbih after a prolonged disagreement, saying they began rebuilding their relationship at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt.
“It was right at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt that Dan and I started hugging,” Oshiomhole said.
The Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Magnus Abe, also recalled Orbih’s influence on his political career.
Abe said he served as director-general of Orbih’s first governorship campaign under the United Nigeria Congress Party and travelled with him across Edo State.
“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.
Former PDP presidential candidate Sandy Onor described Orbih as a public intellectual, defender of Edo heritage and Nigerian patriot.
“Dan was a great man by every measure, a true family man, a great husband, and a worthy father,” Onor said.
Orbih was a prominent politician and businessman. He served as the PDP National Vice-Chairman, South-South, and was the party’s longest-serving Edo State chairman.
