Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has strongly condemned the recent assault on Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Owerri, the capital of Imo state.
Ajaero was forcefully taken into custody on Wednesday by heavily armed policemen at the NLC State Council Secretariat and transported to an undisclosed location.
The Imo State Police Command has firmly denied any involvement in the arrest of the labor leader, leading to escalating tensions. In response, the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have threatened to initiate an immediate nationwide strike in protest of his arrest.
Obi, in his response to the incident on Thursday, voiced his deep concerns, stating, “What happened to Comrade Ajaero has come as a rude shock to most Nigerians, and it speaks volumes about the state of affairs in Nigeria today.”
“It demonstrates the level of lawlessness, impunity, criminality, and rascality that have engulfed our dear country,” Obi expressed on X (formerly Twitter).
He went on to emphasize the need for reflection on these events, remarking, “Things like this should concern any discerning mind because it runs counter to the type of country that we all desire and deserve.”
The former governor of Anambra state further asserted that in the vision of a New Nigeria, abuse of power and the reckless violation of citizens’ rights through acts of impunity will have no place.
Meanwhile, former presidential aide to Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, directly responded to Obi’s statement, saying, “Dear Peter Obi, You are rightly condemning someone being beaten. But what about the two brothers who were barbarically killed in Onitsha, where you live?”
Omokri questioned Obi’s response to local issues, adding, “How can you condemn what is happening in Sokoto and be silent on what is happening in your shokoto? The Onitsha incident happened before this one.”
“At least your ally, Joe Ajaero, is alive. Those brothers are dead. Burnt to death with tires and petrol. Please speak up about it like you did when Deborah Samuel was killed.”
| TheGuardian
