Arewa Youths Assembly (AYA) has asked the inspector general of police and the director-general of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to order the immediate arrest of Comrade Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), for allegedly plotting to sabotage the inauguration of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Yesterday, at a press conference held at the Arewa House in Kaduna, the group's spokesman, Ali Muhammad, accused Ajaero of collaborating with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to facilitate the presidential campaign of Peter Obi of Labour Patty (LP) and not Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the election.
The president of the NLC, however, dismissed the allegation as cheap extortion.
In their petition, the Arewa youths also accused Comrade Ajaero of using the NLC to advance the Biafra agenda and engage in misconduct.
"We also accuse him of corruption; he and his secretary-general each received a bulletproof SUV worth N1 billion to sabotage the planned workers' strike against the apex bank's digital policy.
"We regret that this is the first time in the history of the NLC that two people from the same ethnic group are simultaneously occupying the office of president (Joe Ajaero from Imo State and Emmanuel Ugboaja from Abia), making it easier for them to pursue the Biafra agenda.
"In the petition, we have called the attention of the security agencies to explicit threats by Ajaero to thwart the inauguration of Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president-elect. In addition to threatening the justices overseeing the election petition tribunal, Ajaero has gone on to sabotage state institutions under the guise of strikes, Muhammad said.
The AYA alleged that "Ajaero played his ethnic card by inviting Peter Obi to the most recent May Day celebration in Abuja, but not the leadership of other political parties or the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is the nation's leading laborer.
"It is regrettable that Ajaero is using the Igbo-dominated NLC to sabotage the nation's economy under the pretext of strikes.
"Wednesday's disruption of flights to Imo State, in which an airline purportedly lost N700 million, is merely a dress rehearsal for what Ajaero and IPOB intend to do to Nigeria's economy prior to Tinubu's inauguration.
"The invasion of Lagos and Imo Airports by IPOB fundamentalists posing as NLC is just the beginning of Ajaero's plot to prevent Tinubu from taking the oath of office on May 29," they said.
It's a Cheap Threat, NLC President Replies
Meanwhile, Ajaero has refuted any intention to thwart Tinubu's inauguration.
In a brief response to the LEADERSHIP inquiry, Ajaero characterized the adolescents of the north's accusation as petty blackmail.
"How does he (Ajaero) collaborate with IPOB? Cheap extortion. "Is he (Ajaero) working with IPOB for the Owerri strike?" he questioned.
The military warns politicians not to sabotage the transition.
The Military High Command has warned those who may be plotting to thwart the transfer of power from President Muhammadu Buhari to Bola Tinubu on May 29 to abandon their plans.
It also hinted at the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations made against its sector commander, Operation Safe Haven, by the Atyap under the auspices of the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) in Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna State.
Yesterday, at a briefing in Abuja, the director of defence media operations, Major General Musa Danmadami, stated that the military had not seen any reason why the inauguration of the president-elect would not take place, noting that the police and other security agencies are working together to neutralize any threat.
Before, during, and after the scheduled transition at the end of the month, he said, military personnel are always on reserve to prevent any untoward occurrences.
"With regard to internal security, the police remain the primary agency. The military and other security personnel perform only a supporting role. I will reiterate that we are on standby to prevent any untoward occurrences.
Threats to the security and stability of the nation are promptly addressed. Elections have concluded. The victor of the presidential election has been declared. There is a transition committee comprised of all members of the security agencies, ministries, and government agencies to ensure that the event goes off without a hitch.
"We see no reason why there should be an issue during the activity. The inauguration will pass and nothing will occur. The senior military officer stated, "We will not relent in our efforts to ensure peace and stability throughout the country."
LEADERSHIP recalls that the Atyap people, under the auspices of the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA), criticized the security report on the recent killings in the region by the sector commander of Operation Safe Haven in Southern Kaduna, Brigadier General Timothy Opurum, claiming that his report was biased, lopsided, unbalanced, and misleading.
Therefore, the group demanded his removal from the state.
General Danmadami, however, stated that the military is a national organization that is always willing to assist when fielding questions from reporters immediately after the biweekly press briefing.
He implored state residents to detach the military from any form of emotion, adding that any allegations made against a member of the military will be thoroughly investigated.