National coordinator of Imo Progressive Movement (IPM), Hon Eugene Dibiagwu yesterday alleged that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, was in political alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to destabilise Imo State.
Dibiagwu, who also represents Ohaji Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency in the House of Representatives, said the IPM uncovered political dealings between Ajaero and Anyanwu, to instigate anarchy and cause for the removal of the state’s Police Commissioner Mohammed Barde ahead of the November 11 poll.
But the deputy director (media and publicity) of Anyanwu’s campaign organisation, Sir Sunny Ndukwu, dismissed Dibiagwu’s allegation saying he was only making claims in favour of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Efforts to reach Ajaero proved abortive as he did not take the call put across to him.
Recall that Ajaero was attacked in Imo last week while leading a workers protest.
Dibiagwu, who accused Ajaero of hating Imo people and Uzodimma, said “The deal is to throw Imo into anarchy so that the federal government will sack heads of security agencies so that they can import thugs from Edo and other places.”
He claimed that Ajaero was fully aware that his attackers were angry members of his union who were angry with his dictatorial tendencies, “particularly his determination to dislodge the authentic leadership of the NLC in the state.”
The IPM national coordinator said Ajaero was defended and protected by the Police, and not abducted nor arrested by the force as he claimed.
“So, Ajaero’s decision to blame his ordeal on the state government and the police was simply part of of the PDP’s script to create crisis that would cause a regime change in Imo and also blackmail the police authorities into sacking the competent Commissioner of Police in the Imo state”.
“What Imo people must know is that the fundamental issue here is that a series of secret meetings had held in Abuja between Joe Ajaero and some frontline PDP campaign managers of Samdaddy’s governorship project in which certain resolutions were reached. First, Ajaero was promised that he would nominate the Secretary to the State Government in Imo if PDP wins the governorship election in the state. And, second, Ajaero was promised the PDP senatorial ticket for Owerri zone in 2027. These are the political motives that have driven Ajaero to break the law and lend himself as a vessel for the destruction of Imo state”, Dibiagwu said.
The IPM national coordinator said his organisation has passed a confidence vote on the Imo Police commissioner and called on the federal government to ignore the demands of Ajaero and Labour.
Reacting, Sunny Ndukwu said, having floated a campaign structure for Uzodimma, Dibiagwu was bound to dance to the whims and caprices of his principal. He said “there was no deal or meeting with Ajaero but a figment of Dibiagwu’s imagination.”
Ndukwu said NLC had admitted that they contributed to registering the Labour Party and wondered how the Labour president would turn around to work with another party like the PDP.
