The newly inaugurated Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Chief Solomon Arenyeka, has cautioned members of the party’s new executive against divisive tendencies and internal frictions, urging them to place loyalty, integrity and cooperation above personal interests.
Arenyeka gave the warning on Monday during the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted state executive of the party held at the APC state secretariat.
He stressed that the leadership would not tolerate the formation of cliques or parallel structures within the party, warning members against creating “an executive within the executive” or “a caucus within a caucus.”
“We should not form an executive within the executive. We must not create a caucus within a caucus,” the chairman said.
“I am saying this clearly because I am a very practical person.”
Arenyeka also cautioned party members against entering politics with a mindset driven by financial expectations, saying politics should be guided by values rather than complaints about personal gains.
“When you begin politics, you should not start with complaints such as ‘they did not give me money’ or ‘they did not give me money for petrol.’ That should not be the focus,” he said.
“If you know your name is in the register, let it stand for something meaningful, not for complaints about money.”
He urged members of the executive to uphold their reputations and ensure their names represented integrity, dedication and loyalty to the party.
“I want to appeal to all of you to stand by your name — a name that represents integrity, dedication, hard work and above all, loyalty,” Arenyeka stated.
“In politics, we are not taught to give 99.9 percent loyalty; we are expected to give 110 percent loyalty.”
The chairman further warned against actions motivated by fear or selfish interests, saying such behaviour could undermine the unity and stability of the party.
“We do not want what people call ‘pobo ne pobo’ — actions driven by fear or selfish interests. Out of fear, some people carry out small missions that eventually damage the party. That must not happen,” he added.
Arenyeka assured members of the executive that his leadership would remain open and accessible, encouraging them to bring issues directly to him rather than discussing them informally among themselves.
“My line is always open. Those of you who know me already understand that I am a very free and accessible person,” he said.
He also reminded members that with the completion of the party’s congress process, the real work of building and strengthening the party structure had begun.
“We all know how we arrived here through consensus. Some came from different places and interests, but at the end of the day we came together,” he said, noting that the process was concluded under the leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
Meanwhile, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Valentine Onojeghuo, said the leadership transition from the immediate past Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, to Arenyeka had been successfully completed.
He noted that members of the State Executive Committee were also sworn in earlier in the day, formally placing the party structure in Delta State under the leadership of the new chairman.
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Onojeghuo commended Gov. Oborevwori for facilitating consensus among stakeholders during the congress process, describing the exercise as peaceful and transparent.
According to him, there were no parallel congresses anywhere in the state, adding that the entire process from ward to state level was conducted without rancour.
The publicity secretary also disclosed that Delta State had been selected to host the forthcoming South-South zonal congress of the APC.scheduled for March 25.
He further announced that the state chairman had directed local government party chairmen to return to their councils and begin the inauguration of local government and ward executive committees immediately.
“This means the party structure is fully in place, and we have begun work in earnest,” Onojeghuo said.
