APC Protesters Seek Ikanya’s Removal

Thousands of youth from Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have stormed the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Port Harcourt, the state capital, to demand the removal of the Chairman of the opposition party, Dr Davies Ibiyamu-Ikanya, over allegations of incompetence and corruption.
The protesters, who claimed to be members of Andoni Youth Wing of APC, were led on the street protest in the state capital by one Solomon Frederick Ededeh.
In an interview with newsmen, leader of the protesters said they have decided to stop recognizing Ikanya as the Andoni local government and state chairman of APC following the defeat suffered by the party in the area during the rerun elections in December.
Ededeh accused the chairman of the party of outright incompetence, which the protesters said was as a result of greed.
The youth further alleged that Ikanya has been sabotaging the efforts of the APC in Rivers State by receiving huge funds from another major party and its candidates.
He said, “We went to the house of the chairman to pay him solidarity visit. Instead of him to receive us, he ordered his policemen to chase us out of his compound.
“The chairman is fond of doing that. He does not receive visitors because he feels we are in his house to beg for money. We are tired of having that kind of man as our chairman.
“We reject the awful leadership of Ikanya.

He has failed. He failed to deliver the party even in his own local government. He has injected total divide and rule into the party.
“Ikanya sponsored the failure of the APC in the December 10th rerun legislative elections. He worked for the ruling party in the state, and he just allowed us to waste our time. He collected money from them. He jettisoned the representation of the party executive at the local government level.
“We are tired. That is why we are protesting. The leaders of the party should remove him
The state Deputy Chairman of the party, Prince Peter Odike, who led other APC leaders present at the State Secretariat, addressed the Andoni APC youth, with a promise to take their message to the appropriate authorities.
When contacted for comments, Chief Davies Ibiyamu-Ikanya, dismissed the protesters, saying they were not members of the APC.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana