By Afolayan Sunday
Tributes and grief have flooded the Nigerian political space following the death of Chief Daniel Osi Orbih, a high-ranking chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and veteran political strategist.
Orbih passed away on Monday, August 31, 2026, at the age of 64. His passing was officially confirmed in a statement released on behalf of the family by Francis Udukhomoi Orbih, Esq., expressing “profound sadness and a heavy heart, but in total submission to the will of the Almighty God.”
“At this difficult time, we ask family members, friends and well-wishers to remember the entire family in their prayers as we mourn this painful loss,” the statement read, adding that further details, including funeral arrangements, would be announced in due course.
Reacting, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described Orbih as a true friend and committed political ally.
In a condolence message issued on Tuesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike described Orbih’s death as painful and a major loss to the political community in Edo State.
“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,” Wike said.
He described the deceased as “a friend indeed,” adding that Orbih’s death represented “the fall of one of the biggest trees in the political forest of Edo State.”
“On behalf of myself, my family and political associates, I commiserate with the family of Chief M.C.K. Orbih, on the demise of Chief Dan Orbih, a good friend, a great politician, and a man of faith in the Almighty God,” the Minister added.
Born on October 27, 1961, in Ogbona, Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, Chief Orbih grew to become one of the most prominent power brokers in South-South politics.
He served as the Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the PDP from 2008 to 2019, making him one of the longest-serving state party chairmen in Nigeria’s history. He later assumed the role of PDP National Vice-Chairman for the South-South zone. In addition to his party leadership, Orbih served as the Chairman of the Governing Council of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.
