Alex Agwanwor, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Rivers State, has alleged the uncovering of a plot by certain politicians to stir up disorder at local government offices, masquerading as labour actions.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV's The Morning Show programme, Agwanwor explained that this revelation necessitated immediate intervention to forestall potential violence linked to the labour protest.
Agwanwor detailed how the NLC discovered the scheme intended to disrupt local government operations.
He noted that the politicians aimed to exploit the protest, initially organised by the labour union, to create mayhem and destabilise the area.
According to Agwanwor, this plan involved inciting unrest and potentially leading to violent confrontations at the local government offices.
The NLC Chairman emphasised the urgency with which they acted upon uncovering this plot.
He said that to prevent any escalation of violence, the NLC decided to suspend all union activities related to the ongoing protest.
Agwanwor stressed that the safety and security of the community were of paramount importance and that the labour union could not, in good conscience, continue with the protest under these circumstances.
Agwanwor called on all union members and the general public to remain calm and vigilant. He urged them to be wary of any attempts by political actors to manipulate the situation for their own ends.
The NLC, he assured, would continue to monitor the situation closely and take necessary actions to protect the interests of the workers and the community at large.
Agwanwor said, ''We were worried that our members who are employed by the local government are not allowed to go and carry out their legitimate duties.
"So we did a press conference, and we made that request and gave an ultimatum until the end of Monday for the police to evacuate the building.
"Unfortunately, we uncovered the plot by some politicians to cause mayhem at the local government in the name of Labour.
"So, having discovered that, we had to do another press conference, suspending all unions of organised labour from protesting the lockdown of the local government areas.''
Watch the interview video here (start from 2:48)