Rights groups threaten mass action over arrest of NLC President Ajaero, decry political crisis in Rivers state

The United Action Front of Civil Society has threatened mass action over the detention of the national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero.

Led by Comrade Olawale Okunniyi the group in a statement maintained that it will be in the interest of Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State that nothing happens to Ajaero while in custody security agents.

The group warned that the authorities risk a total shutdown of Abuja and Nigeria as the Nigerian people are being pushed into resorting towards mass action.

The group also faulted ongoing moves to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State by anti-democratic forces believed to be working at the behest of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Condemning in the strongest terms the political crisis in Rivers State, the group called on Wike to desist from foisting any further rascality in Rivers State and stop his desperate machination to impeach Governor Fubara, who only assumed office in May this year.

“The ongoing crisis in Rivers State, which is no doubt the continuation of the political rascality and dictatorship of Mr. Wike must not be allowed to undermine governance in Rivers State and even in the FCT, as It is rather unbecoming for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to be sponsoring the impeachment of his successor just five months of assuming office,” it noted.

“The United Action Front of Civil Society therefore demand that the security agents under the control of the federal government must resist to be used as tools by Mr. Wike to settle scores in Rivers State.”

The group thereby called on leading opposition leaders in the country such as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso among others to immediately rise up and unite to rally opposition forces in Nigeria to resist heightening impunity and recklessness in the governance of Nigeria.

It added: “We wish to reaffirm that except political opposition becomes formidable, engaging and active in any country, popular governance will shrink and die, especially as the FBI begins to release the Files of the President today in far away United States of America.

“It’s for this reason that the United Action Front of Civil Society shall be joining hand with the newly initiated National Intervention Group, NIG to facilitate a major National Political Summit of Eminent National Leaders, Statesmen and Women as well as Social Influencers, especially among the Youths of Nigeria proposed for Tuesday, 28th November 2023 at a venue to be announced soon in Memory of Nigeria’s departed constitutional icon, Prof Ben Nwabueze, SAN, who left the world on Sunday, 29th October.”