TMSG Accuses Ajaero Of Blackmail Over Police Summons

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has accused the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of attempting to blackmail the Presidency over his recent invitation from police authorities.

In a statement signed by Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, the group argued that the labour leader’s accusation of betrayal was more about a police investigation into an alleged criminal conspiracy and subversion than national workforce issues.

The statement reads, “We carefully scrutinised the statement signed in person by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and what immediately caught our attention is hidden anger over a Police invitation that should normally have passed as routine in investigations. Instead of assisting the police in their investigations, the labour leader made a public spectacle of blackmailing the federal government through threats and deception.

“This is evident in the way he spent so much time accusing the government, albeit incorrectly, of using the police and security agencies to ‘terrorise the citizenry to muzzle lawful dissent’.

“Of course, it was clear to us that Ajaero was referring to a recent police raid on a bookshop in the NLC headquarters in Abuja, for which he had been summoned for the second time by police investigators after the bookshop owner, Andrew Wynne, also known as Drew Povey and Andrew Povich, had been declared wanted.

“The police had accused the British bookshop owner of sponsoring the recent protests, which they claimed were aimed at overthrowing the government, and it appears that Ajaero may be close to the man.

“It is instructive that the Briton, after being declared wanted, stated from hiding that one of the people standing trial for treason was Ajaero’s former colleague in the electricity workers union, while also urging the NLC to fight to protect its officials, as it recently did for its President.

“We do not believe it is coincidental that he issued the statement the day after the wanted Briton urged the NLC to fight for those on trial.

“Back to Ajaero’s statement, we wonder what possessed him to accuse the state and security forces of targeting him in a ‘hybrid war’ when all the Police did was pursue a foreigner who it claimed provided financial support for a subversive act.

“It is widely known that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) participated in minimum wage negotiations with the government, but its President, Festus Usifo, has not been invited by the police. He is also not known to have raised any concerns about the police investigation into the recent protests.

“Is there more to Ajaero’s relationship with Drew Povey than just being a tenant at the NLC headquarters?

“About his claim that President Tinubu
We have it on good authority from those who were present at the meeting that it was never an option to offer Labour N250,000 with the new fuel pump price before both sides agreed on N70,000.

“It is even laughable that Ajaero accused the federal government of enacting ‘ferocious right-wing policies’ while openly supporting a presidential candidate who publicly promised to implement similar policies if elected President.

“Regarding the NLC President’s claim that the Presidency had usurped the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s duties in trade disputes, it is public record that Ajaero and his TUC counterpart praised the President for taking over the minimum wage negotiations.

“And, after reviewing his demands, we believe that the reversal of the most recent fuel price increase is merely a red herring for Ajaero’s true goal of obtaining the release of those on trial.

TMSG urged the NLC President to follow in the footsteps of his TUC counterpart and refrain from using an ongoing and unresolved national issue as a ploy to halt an ongoing investigation into subversive activities in a country for which he is the Labour union leader.