Leave Ngige alone, South-East APC youths warn Ayuba Wabba

Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

South-East youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have berated the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba over the invasion of the private residence of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige by the NLC.

The youths who were also angered by the verbal attacks on the minister by the NLC president and his alleged directives that workers should attack Ngige and members of his family anywhere they were seen, warned Wabba to forthwith retrace his steps or have them to contend with.

The APC South-East youth leaders who rose from a caucus meeting held at the APC State Secretariat Enugu, commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the pace of work on the Second Niger Bridge and other projects of the Federal government in the South-East, and urged him to complement them with appointments to the people of the zone in the second term.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the meeting, the APC South-East Zonal Youth Leader, Olisaemaka Onyeka, commended the presidency for clearing the air on the matter between NLC and the minister,  correcting the erroneous impressions created by Wabba and his group and assuring that the youths were going to defend Ngige even with their lives if need be.

Reading their communiqué Onyeka said: “We want to use this medium to seriously warn NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, to forthwith desist from harassing, intimidating, insulting and trying to coax the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige.

“We want to make it clear to him that Ngige is a true and illustrious son of the South-East and that the South-East youth leaders and their followers will not sit back and watch him harass one of our own. He has threatened Ngige’s life and directed workers in Nigeria to attack Ngige and his family anywhere they are seen; we will not tolerate that.

“We want to sound it loud and clear that any other attempt on Ngige, the South_East Youth Leaders will defend Ngige with everything in our disposal. Ngige has done very well as a minister and has brokered so many negotiations between the Federal government and labour unions, top is the N30, 000 new minimum wage and instead of coming to him with gratitude Ayuba and his gang are attacking him. If they have issues they must take it with civility and not taking laws into their hands; we will not tolerate that.”

On President Buhari he said: “We want to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on the pace of work on the Second Niger Bridge and other projects all over the South-East.”