The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State Chapter, has dismissed as a fluke, last Saturday’s dislodgement of the party by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the governorship election in Ekiti State.

“This development, which was unexpected, does not portend anything any danger for the APC in 2015, especially in Rivers State. The Ekiti election has come and gone and we have learnt our lessons which will ensure better outings in other elections. That election will go a long way to unite and strengthen us the more to present a better APC to Nigerians for the battle to rescue and reposition Nigeria gets hot,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said.

Dr. Ikanya, who was responding to enquiries on the fate of APC in view of what happened in Ekiti, emphatically declared in a statement he issued yesterday in Port Harcourt: “It is erroneous to think that what happened in Ekiti affects or will affect Rivers State politics come 2015. The factors that led us losing Ekiti are well known but totally different from the reality in Rivers State. No matter the challenges or odds, Rivers remains an APC State. I am supremely confident that the good people of Rivers State will renew their covenant with APC with a landslide in 2015.”

The Rivers APC Chairman gave an idea of how the party would run the 2015 elections and obliterate PDP in the state. “One thing going for us in River State is that we have a President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP whose hatred for our state and her people is legendary not minding that he is from our sister state Bayelsa and our in-law and we gave him the highest number of votes that made him the President. Our campaign strategy will be centered on this hatred, which has manifested in the hounding of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, the ceding of our oil wells to Bayelsa and Abia states and refusal to direct Akwa Ibom to pay us the proceeds of our oil wells she kept for many years. Mr. President has also refused to site any meaningful project in Rivers State, so how can we support him or any PDP candidate in 2015?

“In any case, the feats of the Amaechi administration are enough to give us victory in future elections. These feats, which are well known, include making Port Harcourt the World Book Capital City, eradication of militancy, dogged fight for the oil wells and other rights of Rivers State and her people, as well as award-winning achievements in education, agriculture, health, etc.”

Dr. Ikanya said that, in addition to all these, “we will ask the good people of Rivers State to make their choice of the characters and vision of those in PDP (insecurity, ungodly, etc) and the vision and characters in APC (godliness, security and concern for the future of our state). These are the issues for Rivers State to use to decide which of the parties governs River State come 2015.”

He concluded by advising APC faithful in the state not to panic or fear about the future of the party, as “Rivers people have since adopted APC as the party of their choice and there is nothing the doomed PDP or any other party can do about that.”

•Photo shows Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.