Shock As Wike’s Political Ally, Dan Orbih, Dies

 

By Akinwale Kasali

Chief Dan Orbih, a chieftain of the  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is dead.

Orbih was a very close political ally of  Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and was loyal to the Minister’s faction of the PDP.

His death has thrown the entire political landscape of Edo State and the South-South region into mourning.

The political heavyweight died on Monday, August 31, 2026, under circumstances not yet public.

Francis Udukhomoi announced his passing on Tuesday on behalf of the Orbih family.

The news of the death of the politician and National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the PDP, has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s major political structures, with many of his political associates, friends and allies  struggling to come to terms with the suddenness of it.

He was widely recognized across the country as a staunch political ally of Wike, and had consistently defended Wike against critics, and actively championing the narrative that the FCT Minister was not the antagonist of the PDP but a defender of its constitutional integrity.

The strong alignment between the late Orbih and Wike made the deceased a central figure in the fierce internal power struggles that  gripped the PDP nationally and within Edo State.

Before his national assignment as the PDP South-South Zonal Leader, Orbih carved out a formidable reputation as the long-serving State Chairman of the PDP in Edo State.

 Under his leadership, the party maintained a resilient stance, acting as a robust opposition during the tenure of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State.

However, his later years were defined by severe friction with the immediate past Edo State administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Orbih had openly accused the Obaseki-led faction of dismantling the core foundation of the PDP in the state.

This rift ultimately led to Orbih leading the “Legacy Group” of the PDP, a faction that opposed the state government’s preferred Candidates and heavily disrupted party activities leading up to the 2024 governorship elections.

Due to his fierce refusal to compromise, the National Working Committee, NWC, the PDP suspended Orbih in July 2024 over allegations of anti-party activities and factional rebellion.

This was compounded by later announcements from the Edo State PDP caretaker committee claiming he was no longer an active member.

Undeterred, Orbih maintained his relevance, making headlines even into late 2025 and early 2026 by donating a new, independent state secretariat to the PDP in Benin City, ensuring his faction remained functionally active.

He is survived by his wife, Florence Orbih, and his children, Winifred Anwosiobor Orbih and Mildred Omonemi Orbih.