Students of the Imo State University (IMSU) on Monday booed Governor Hope Uzodinma when he visited the institution for his campaign, as they continued chanting “no light, no light” as the governor mounted the rostrum.
According to videos obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, the students refused to grant audience to the governor after the electricity workers cut off the power supply to the institution for four days.
“Uzodinma went to the Imo State University to speak to the students and campaign. After mounting the rostrum, we started shouting ‘no light”, because we have not had light for the past 4 to 5 days,” a student narrated.
“This is because electricity workers went on strike over the assault on NLC president, Joe Ajaero,” another student said.
The state will be electing its next governor on Saturday in a contest which is already generating controversies due to the activities of the police, other security operatives and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC.)
SaharaReporters had on November 2 reported that Uzodinma explained that the reasons behind the attack on national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero.
Truetells Nigeria reported last Wednesday that operatives of the Nigerian Police Force arrested Ajaero while organising a rally to protest against stalled wage payments for workers in the state.
It was also reported that the NLC confirmed its President, Comrade Ajaero was thoroughly brutalised and rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri with his right eye completely shut.
The NLC’s Head of Information and Publicity, Comrade Benson Upah, had described the arrest and assault suffered by Ajaero as “attempted murder”.
But reacting to the incident, Governor Uzodinma, who is facing a reelection on November 11, had claimed that the NLC President was attacked because he was meddling in the state’s politics.
Uzodimma who spoke to journalists after receiving the All Progressives Congress’ flag from President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, said he stopped the NLC’s national leadership from dissolving the Imo State chapter of the Congress.
“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.
He had 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.”