The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has suspended its official social activities for seven days in honour of its late leader and elder statesman, Patrick Dele Cole, who died in London at the age of 86.
The organisation announced the decision as part of its efforts to pay tribute to the late statesman, whose contributions spanned journalism, diplomacy, public service and politics.
In a statement signed by PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, on behalf of the organisation’s Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee, the forum described Cole’s death as a painful loss to the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.
PANDEF directed all its chapters within Nigeria and in the diaspora to suspend official social activities throughout the seven-day mourning period, which commenced on October 18, 2026. The organisation also instructed its media platforms to display Cole’s photograph during the period.
The late Cole was a former Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Times of Nigeria and served as a presidential adviser on foreign affairs under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He also represented Nigeria as an ambassador to Brazil.
PANDEF credited him with playing an important role in the development of the organisation and advancing the Niger Delta’s campaign for resource control and true federalism.
Beyond his career in journalism and diplomacy, Cole was involved in politics, having pursued a presidential ambition under the Social Democratic Party and served on the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The forum also acknowledged his contributions to Christian leadership and the preservation of the cultural heritage of Nigeria’s South-South region.
PANDEF extended its condolences to his son, Tonye Cole, other members of the family, the people of Abonnema in the Kalabari Kingdom, the Ijaw nation, the Rivers State Government and Nigerians across the country.
The organisation urged the bereaved family and the people of the Niger Delta to draw strength from the late elder statesman’s life of service and lasting contributions to the region.
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