Following from the hazy events surrounding the NLC protest or is it labour party campaign rally of November 1 2023 in Owerri the Imo state capital, the Nigeria Labour Congress raised an alarm that it's president Joe Ajaero had been abducted by operatives of the Nigeria police force and issued an ultimatum for his release within 24 hours, failure which it threatened to embark on a nationwide strike.
Barely within 24 hours, Nigerians were regaled with the picture and a video of the NLC president in a vehicle looking battered and the NLC claimed that it's president Joe Ajaero was brutalized with accusing fingers pointed at the Nigeria police force. The NLC also pointed accusing fingers at Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State as being responsible.
Following this allegations, the Nigeria police force came out and denied involvement in the brutalization, claiming that it rescued the NLC President by taking him into protective custody to save his life when he was under attack. The Imo State government also came out to deny involvement in the matter.
As a discerning political observer, what came to one's mind, was to ask that since Mr. Ajaero was brutalized and accusing fingers are being pointed in two directions of the Imo State government and the Nigeria Police force, who really is responsible? The Nigeria police force like we all know is an independent institution that is not answerable to the Imo State Government, so who really is NLC alleging as being responsible for it's president plight, is it the Nigeria police force or Imo State government or both?
The NLC even went further by demanding the immediate removal and prosecution of the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the area commander and others on the basis of it's allegations for the brutalization of Mr Ajaero. The statement made made many Nigerians and persons of sound minds to ask that, what manner of reasoning is this? A party to a matter alledges and at the same time make demands, which amounts to being the accuser, prosecutor, judge and jury in your own case. This is a total negation of the principle of justice and fair hearing which asserts that you can't be a judge in your own case.
For our information, Mr. Ajaero is an adult in control of his senses and being the victim, he should come out to narrate his story rather than what we are hearing from a third party, the NLC who have taken up the narration rather than the victim himself, thus one is confused by this and am sure millions of Nigerians are.
However, we must state that different narrations of what transpired and resulted in the brutalization of the NLC president continue to dominate the public space. One version which sticks out strongly is that the NLC mobilized workers in Imo State for a protest against the state government labour policies even in the face of a court injunction barring NLC and TUC from embarking on any protest in the state and that when some of the workers who heeded the invitation amassed at the venue, they discovered that it was a labour party campaign rally and felt angry that they were deceived by the NLC through Mr. Ajaero for a partisan political campaign ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state which was less than two weeks, and in that fit of anger over the deception and disagreement, a fracas ensued and the NLC president was assaulted by angry workers.
Again, we ask that was it only the NLC president that went for this protest rally/labour party campaign without his executive members and others who had the same mandate with him because how come he was the only one who was assaulted? Was the NLC president running a one man show on this adventure in Imo State? Can the NLC avail us videos or images for us to have a glimpse of the protest rally/campaign in Owerri so that some light can be thrown into this event of many versions? A lot of things don't add up in the story that is coming out from the NLC.
We are also aware that the Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodinma came out openly to condemn the NLC president Joe Ajaero partisanship in the politics of Imo State by pleading that he separate labour issues from his political partisanship in his Ajaero home state, in order not to imperil the hard-fought reputation and integrity of the NLC which is a product of centuries of dedication to the worthy cause of labour struggles.
Mr. Joe Ajaero is not the first president of the NLC and won't be the last, but his political partisanship in this dispensation is rubbing off damagingly on the image and integrity of the Nigeria Labour Congress, his sincerity and objectivity to lead the struggle of the Nigerian workers outside of his political interest, sticks out like a sore thumb and is questionable.
While we concede that the NLC has a right to speak for it's president if his right or that of any worker or Nigerian has been assaulted, but as Nigerians we also have a right to know the truth in order to be on the same page in the agitation for justice because we don't know whose turn it will be tomorrow, but we must warn that the NLC cannot take the law into its hands by being a judge in a matter in which it is an interested party by issuing threats, ultimatum, placing fatwa on a Nigerian citizen Governor Hope Uzodinma, embarking on economic sabotage of airport blockade, etc, it is absolutely unacceptable and condemnable.
The NLC and it's sister organization TUC cannot be a judge in their own matter, this runs contrary to the tenets of natural justice and is totally unacceptable. The NLC president was alledgely brutalized by persons whose identity the Nigeria state and people cannot authenticate, save for the narration from Ajaero and NLC, and yet they have taken it upon themselves against fair hearing and justice to unilaterally alledge, prosecute and pass judgement by issuing threats, ultimatum, placing fatwa, embarking on economic blockade of the livelihood of Nigeria and Nigerians as well as threatening our democracy.
As we write, the NLC and TUC knowing well that we operate a constitutional democracy in which we are governed by laws, has not deemed it fit to report what happened to the NLC president Joe Ajaero to any security or state agencies as required by law. Rather the NLC and TUC have taken the law into their hands by engaging in acts inimical to national security, economy and our democracy which stands condemned in all ramifications.
The assault on Mr Joe Ajaero the NLC president is a criminal matter that borders on an assault on the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria and is not a labour issue for which the organized labour is issuing threats of a nationwide strike, blockade of airports, threats to shutdown power supply to Imo State and other condemnable acts that is a threat to our democracy and national security.
The NLC and TUC cannot be bigger than our law, they must submit to our constitutionally established dispute resolution mechanism rather than this barbaric route of taken the law into their hands which makes them liable for infractions of our law which represents the collective will of the Nigerian people that they always profess to agitate for.
The NLC and TUC must be admonished that Nigerians will not sit idly and watch them imperil our hard earned democracy by anti democratic acts against the conduct of a free, fair, credible and successful election in Imo State on the 11th of November 2023, Nigerians and the international community are hereby put on notice to hold the NLC and TUC responsible for any acts of breach of the credible and successful conduct of that election and threat to national security.
The NLC and TUC cannot and must not be allowed to be a law unto themselves, never.
A word is enough for the wise.
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