PANDEF Leader Edwin Clark Passes Away at 97

Edwin Clark, the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, has passed away.

At the age of 97, the former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader’s death was confirmed in a statement issued by a family representative, Prof. C. C. Clark, on Tuesday.

The statement read, “The Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family of Kiagbodo Town, Delta State, wishes to announce the passing of Chief (Dr.) Sen. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark OFR, CON on Monday, 17th February 2025.

“The family appreciates your prayers at this time. Other details will be announced later by the family.”

Clark’s death comes shortly after the passing of Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who died at the age of 96 just a few days ago.

Both Clark and Adebanjo were influential figures in the political development of Nigeria.

In 2022, they attended the Greater Nigeria Conference (GNC) in Abuja, which focused on the emergence of Nigeria’s next president from the Southeast.

The GNC was a pan-Nigeria dialogue organized by the global Igbo think tank, Nzuko Umunna, to rally support for a presidential candidate from the region during the 2023 general elections.

A towering figure in Nigerian politics and a staunch advocate for the rights of the Niger Delta, Clark was a lawyer, administrator, nationalist, and freedom fighter.

He served as Commissioner for Education in the Mid-Western Region from 1968 to 1971, and later as Commissioner for Finance and Establishment in the defunct Bendel State between 1972 and 1975.

At the federal level, Clark was appointed Commissioner for Information in 1975 and later served as a Senator from 1979 to 1983.

Beyond his political career, Clark was a leading voice for regional and national unity. He was also recognized for mediating peace among warring communities and politicians in the Niger Delta region.

Recently, he established a committee to reconcile Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his former political mentor Nyesom Wike.

The committee, chaired by former Akwa Ibom Governor Obong Victor Attah, Co-Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PandeF) Board of Trustees, was announced in a communique following a special General Assembly held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 24, 2024.