March 8, 2026
Press release
ELUE EMBODIED THE VIRTUES OF DILIGENCE AND LOYALTY, LIVED AHEAD OF HIS TIME, SAYS FUNKEKEME SOLOMON
The Senior Policy Adviser to the governor of Delta State and coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassadors in the state, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, has said Chief Benjamin Elue exemplified the virtues of loyalty, humility and diligence in leadership.
Reacting to the death of the former deputy governor of Delta State who passed on recently, Solomon said he espoused the leadership philosophy that engendered stability of the nascent fourth republic in the state.
“As Deputy to Chief James Ibori at the onset of the new democratic dispensation, Chief Benjamin Elue did not have to learn from anybody the political virtues that defined his leadership. They were the values that the guided him even before he served alongside his principal.
“Having known him from his early days as Deputy Governor, I drew inspiration from his humane and humbie disposition which made him a go-to leader for fatherly advice”, Solomon who was a member of the Delta State House of Assembly and a Deputy Speaker, stated.
“That Delta State and the executive branch were shielded from the discord and disagreements that characterised some states at the time was due to the attitude of Chief Elue. He was more than a Deputy to Chief Ibori. They were partners that upheld similar values that ensured Delta State took off the democratic dispensation on a peaceful note. He was a real father to all”, Solomon said in his message.
He urged the new crop of political leaders and aspirants to public office to adopt Chief Elue’s values of loyalty, humility and focus on driving the development of the state, noting that his wise counsel will be sorely missed.
Solomon prayed for the peaceful repose of the former Deputy Governor’s soul and the grace for his family and his Obior community to bear the loss.
The former Deputy Governor was an educator, businessman, politician and community leader from Obior in Aniocha North local government areas of Delta State.