“How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished” was David’s lament over the killing of King Saul and his son, Jonathan, his beloved friend, at the battle on Mount Gilboa, as revealed in his moving elegy in 2 Samuel 1:17-27. David, who later became king, never had Daniel Osikheme Orbih, former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, in mind, but his words fit perfectly the summation of the passing of this great Edo politician who glamorised opposition politics in the heartbeat state.
More popularly known as Dan Orbih, his demise on Monday, August 31st, 2026 was likened to the fall of the iroko, encapsulated in the end of an era. How are the mighty fallen? Son of Chief M.C.K Orbih, a respected politician in the defunct Bendel State, Orbih was rigorous, formidable and steadfast in his engagement and never wavered in his stoic resolve to put the ruling party on its paces.
His larger-than-life image in Edo politics belied his young age of 64 at the time of his death. Ask former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who had goose pimples dealing with Orbih, or his immediate successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who acted in breach of his agreement with the PDP over his second-term bid; they will tell you that Orbih was indeed a stormy petrel of Edo politics. Though he was a long-time buddy and shared the same Etsako ancestry with Oshiomhole, he could neither be browbeaten on consanguineous affiliation, swayed by prolonged friendship, nor tamed with bags of money.
“Like a kingmaker who never became king, Orbih angled for the position of deputy governor under the platform of the All People’s Party (APP) in 1999 but lost. He later joined the PDP and became a dogged foot soldier for late Edo strongman, Chief Tony Anenih and former Governor Lucky Igbinedion. He was elected chairman of the Edo State branch of PDP in 2008 and held sway for 11 years.
Orbih stood as a rock of Gibraltar, not mincing his stance of constantly charging the ruling party on the grill. He was reputed for not battering what he perceived as his historic responsibility in Edo politics for a mess of pottage. Unlike many other states where governors make mincemeat of opposition parties, rendering them prostrate, Orbih ensured that the PDP was impregnable and oiled his arsenals constantly for battle.
His every move not only left butterflies in Oshiomhole’s stomach but kept his government on its toes. As Special Adviser, Media Affairs and Publicity to Oshiomhole, I was virtually on the edge each time Orbih addressed a press conference. And he was always there reeling out not just whopping amounts but file numbers of projects his party found objectionable and what he perceived as the government’s missteps.
If Oshiomhole’s government endorsed a project at 8 am, you can have a bet that Orbih would be addressing a press conference at 10 am. You can glean that he was not a run-of-the-mill politician on a wild goose chase. Also, his mien and the non-soothing lyrics of his songs on the soapbox were particularly unsettling. At the onset of the campaign by the socio-cultural organisation, Esan Okpa Initiative (EOI), for an Edo State Governor of Esan extraction, we consulted many political elites across the three senatorial zones of the state.
Orbih was the first port of call. He received us well and offered his pieces of advice on how to accomplish our vision. When the lot fell on me to give the vote of thanks, I reminded Orbih of how he made my work as media manager to Oshiomhole very uncomfortable. “I hope I didn’t make your work difficult?” Orbih retorted after he learnt I was Oshiomhole’s former media manager. “You not only did sir, but made me always sit on the edge”, I quipped.
And we all exchanged pleasantries and savoured the banter. And for Obaseki, who was sheltered by the PDP when he was in the rain, having been denied a second-term ticket by his then party, All Progressives Congress (APC), he was not pleased. With Oshiomhole, then as APC national chairman wielding the big stick, Obaseki’s political career appeared to have come to the end of the road.
With deft moves, however, Orbih, who had in 2019 been elevated as PDP vice chairman for the South-South and with the support of then Rivers State Governor, Eyesanwo Wike, Obaseki was offered a ticket on the platform of the PDP, winning his second term bid on a platter of a rainbow coalition. Rather than abide by the terms of the agreement that saw the realization of his second stanza as governor, including offering the Edo South senatorial ticket to Ogbeide Iyama, Obaseki opted to shred it.
His administration may have scored high marks in the deft management of the state’s resources but Obaseki not only squandered the gains of the popular coalition that brought him to power in 2020 via his flagrant discard of the terms of agreement but made mincemeat of his relationship with the political elite who were largely used to free bees. As a miniature general stuck on poor strategy, Obaseki naively took on the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oshiomhole and Orbih, who are like three big elephants in one swoop and many other political elite, including his deputy, Phillip Shuaibu and Wike, who not only midwifed his PDP ticket but were in Benin City for four days to coordinate his re-election victory.
Worse was that he plotted to take over the PDP from those who offered him a blissful abode when he was in the cold. Only a man on the path of political asphyxia could have conceived this. Little wonder, he unwittingly laid landmines for his nominee, Asue Ighodalo, the PDP governorship candidate in 2024. Even before Ighodalo took the first shot at selling his candidacy, Obaseki’s intransigence had rallied the estranged political elite on shadow boxing against him.
When the courts gave Obaseki victory over the control of the soul of a party that offered him succour, Orbih ensured he got his pound of flesh by working for the defeat of Ighodalo. How are the mighty fallen? Orbih may not have been a saint, but he acquitted himself on the altar of galvanising opposition parties to play their historic role. His life underscored the point that one needs not be in government to make significant strides.
It’s also a lesson for those angling to smoulder opposition parties to retrace their steps. As we grieve with the Orbih family during this period of tribulation, we ask God Almighty to grant this accomplished Edo politician a final rest in His bosom. Amen. Iyare, a senior international journalist and development expert, was special adviser on media affairs and publicity to Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
