Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Thursday, accused the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, of meddling in the state’s politics.
This was, as he alleged, an attempt to blackmail his government over non-payment of salaries, insisting that all the state workers have been paid their due wages.
Uzodimma made these observations when he addressed State House correspondents after receiving the All Progressives Congress’ flag from President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
“What has happened in this ugly coincidence is that the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress is from Imo State and has not been able to demarcate the difference between being a national leader of an organisation and then an interested party in local politics,” he said.
The NLC on Wednesday kicked as its President, Ajaero, was arrested by the police in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Ajaero was said to be in the state to mobilise NLC members for a total strike in Imo starting from Wednesday.
Ajaero, during a press briefing on Sunday, had accused the Imo State government of “violating the rights of the Nigerian workers in the state,” and therefore vowed to mobilise members of the union in the state for a total strike.
The Head of Information of the NLC, Benson Upah, who confirmed the arrest to The PUNCH, noted that Ajaero was picked up at the state secretariat of the NLC and taken to an unknown location.
But Uzodimma, who said he stopped the NLC’s national leadership from dissolving the Imo State chapter of the Congress, explained why he intervened.
He said, “I understand the sensitivity of this event (protest). But I want you people to be careful because there is an attempt to mix up partisan politics or an attempt to blackmail my government.
“I can tell you that my people are already aware; that was why the NLC Imo State chapter addressed a world press conference that what their national leadership is doing is not correct and that they are not going to embark on any strike or protest.
“In the process, they decided to dissolve them to put in a caretaker. Of course, I’m the Chief Security Officer and I have a responsibility to intervene. I encourage the national leadership not to dissolve a management team that their tenure has not expired, and that was what they did.”
The governor, who said he does not interfere in labour matters, said he has convinced his “workers in Imo State to believe in me, and that trust is what opposition parties are trying to fight.”