•Our goal is to scuttle Imo election, says NLC
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Organised Labour has said it would ground the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja today, as part of its protest against the Imo State government.
General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Emmanuel Ugboaja, who described yesterday’s strike in Imo as fairly successful, said labour would not rest until the international community investigates Governor Hope Uzodimma.
He said: “For a matter that people had barely six hours to comprehend, it was fair in the circumstance. The strike is on, the clown became panicky and declared tomorrow (Today) and Friday Public holidays. So nothing is going on in Imo.
“Tomorrow, we will be having actions at Abuja and Lagos airports. We will take over the airport access. There is no light in Imo, everything is on holiday because an evil man is trying to force himself on people. That cannot work. There should be an end to his madness. Their determination is to forcefully say that he has won the election.”
Asked if the Union was not worried that the November 11 governorship election in the state would be affected by the strike, thereby automatically extending Uzodimma’s tenure, Ugboaja said: “He cannot be a governor of a state that is not functioning. There are provisions in our country. You cannot continue to keep an evil man. We want the international community to come and investigate him. People have been slaughtered by this man, properties destroyed.”
On Tuesday, Organised Labour ordered its members to immediately withdraw services and shutdown Imo state indefinitely beginning at midnight.
Labour also directed public and private workers all over the federation to join in withdrawing their services by Midnight Tuesday, the 14th of November, if their demands were still unmet.
The action followed the brutalisation of NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, last week in Imo State.
The leadership of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), reached the resolution after a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The labour centres had given some conditions for calling of the strike which included, investigation and deployment of the Commissioner of Police in Imo; sack of the Area Commander of the Police and all other Officers and Men in Owerri through whom the Police Commissioner supervised the the attack; as well as the arrest and immediate prosecution of Mr Nwaneri Chinasa, aid to Uzodinma.
They also asked for an immediate, independent and unbiased thorough professional medical examination of all victims of the attack; immediate restoration of all properties lost and urgent implementation of all the outstanding Industrial Relations agreements previously entered with the state government.
Although, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, at the weekend, redeployed Barde for what he tagged “neutrality sake” ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.
•We’re vindicated –Govt
The NLC, yesterday, admitted that its main goal of shutting down Imo State is to frustrate Saturday’s governorship election.
This was made known by Mr. Uchenna Ekwe, Head of International Relations of the workers union when he appeared on a television programme.
Ekwe said there was no going back on the Imo shut down even if it violated the constitution or not.
“Would the world end if the election doesn’t hold in Imo?” he queried.
When reminded by one of the panelists that the NLC would be violating the constitution of Nigeria if it disrupts the election, Ekwe said it was not significant.
“We don’t believe anything good would come out of the election,” he insisted.
He also said NLC was not interested in the timing of the strike so long as it yields the result of getting Governor Hope Uzodimma to do what Labour requested.
On the subsisting Court Order barring NLC from embarking on any strike , he said they did not recognise any interim injunction.
Reacting to the stand of NLC that their goal is to disrupt the election even it means violating the constitution, Imo State Government said it has been vindicated that NLC was partisan.
According to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, Nigerians need no further proof that the strike is politically motivated.
“Every keen observer of the happenings in Imo knows that NLC is part of the opposition in Imo state, hence this strike.
“What more proof do we need when a member of NEC of NLC publicly acknowledged that the goal of the strike is to stop the election on Saturday?”
Emelumba called on all security agencies to be watchful to ensure NLC does not stop the election under the guise of a protest.
He said the brazen attempt to subvert the Constitution of Nigeria is an affront to the nation which should not be ignored.
He, however, expressed satisfaction that the police in Imo had already issued a statement warning those attempting to disrupt the election to desist from such an unconstitutional act.