The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has made an interesting revelation about his emergence as Rivers State Governor in 2015.

Wike made the revelation on Wednesday while recounting his journey to the governorship during a night of tributes held in honour of Chief Daniel Orbih, the National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South.

Wike said: “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.”

“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.’”

“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.”

“I was the Director General of his first campaign in the United Nigeria Congress Party, when he ran for governor and I went everywhere in Edo with him.

“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.”