Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State faced a hostile reception from the students of Imo State University (IMSU) on Monday when he visited the campus for his campaign rally.
The students chanted “no light, no light” as the governor tried to address them from the rostrum.
They were protesting against the lack of electricity supply to the institution for four days, following a strike by the electricity workers over the attack on the national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, by the police last week.
One of the students who witnessed the scene said, “Uzodinma wanted to speak to us and campaign. But we shouted ‘no light’, because we have been in darkness for the past four to five days. This is because of the assault on the NLC president, who is from our state.”
The state is preparing for the governorship election on Saturday, which has been marred by controversies and allegations of intimidation and manipulation by the police, other security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
READ ALSO: Governor Hope Uzodinma Books All Hotels in Owerri Ahead Imo Gubernatorial Election
It would be recalled that the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, was arrested and brutalised by the police last Wednesday, while he was organising a rally to demand the payment of arrears of salaries and pensions for the workers in the state. He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, with his right eye completely shut.
The NLC had condemned the attack on its president as “attempted murder” and accused the governor of being behind it. However, the governor had denied any involvement and claimed that Ajaero was attacked because he was meddling in the state’s politics.
Uzodinma had said, “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. 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.”