There appears to be a crack in the ranks of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State as the state’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru, on Sunday, announced his defection from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Ikuru, who has worked with the State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, for about eight years, may be received by President Goodluck Jonathan at a PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The news of Ikuru’s defection is coming barely six days to the presidential election.
Ikuru had, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday, described the APC as party of “rebels, insurgents and anarchists clothed in robes of pretence and deceit.”
The deputy governor was said to have been in a battle of supremacy with the State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ikanya, who is from the same Andoni Local Government Area with him.
Speculations of the deputy governor’s defection to the PDP became rife on Sunday when a Government House source confirmed his departure from the APC.
The PUNCH gathered that Amaechi had called Ikuru on Saturday to ascertain the location of his deputy governor, who was in his hometown in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.
Ikuru was said to have gone to Andoni to conclude his movement from the ruling party to the PDP, even as APC camp in the state remained shocked over the development.
When asked what was responsible for Ikuru sudden departure from the APC, the source in Government House, who preferred not to be mentioned because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said Amaechi had no problem with his deputy.
The source added that the political influence of the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Uche Secondus, could not be ruled out as the major reason why Ikuru left the APC.
The source said, “I can confirm to you that the deputy governor has moved to the Peoples Democratic Party and that President Goodluck Jonathan will receive him tomorrow (Monday). The deputy governor was in Andoni to conclude his plan to move to the PDP.
“When the governor called him on Saturday, he (Ikuru) told Governor Amaechi that he would see him when he returns. But he came back to Port Harcourt on the same day, but failed to see the governor.
“The governor has no problem with his deputy. But I suspect that the political influence of the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, may have being responsible for the deputy governor’s defection.
“You are aware that Uche Secondus is the political mentor of the deputy governor and he (Secondus) is responsible for most of the political appointments Ikuru had received in the past, including his current position.”
Ikuru added in his statement on Sunday, “Recall that in December 2013, out of extreme loyalty to my boss and friend, I joined the APC, along with other then disillusioned Rivers people.
“Ever since, as the true nature and motives of APC are unveiled, I have continued to twist and turn in extreme mental and emotional agony. The more I struggle to belong, the more the Rivers man in me rejects the APC.
“After carefully studying, interacting and analyzing the leadership of the party, I have come to the sad conclusion that the APC is a party of rebels, insurgents and anarchists, clothed in robes of pretence and deceit. APC is a party founded on deception and it thrives on unholy propaganda and falsehood.
