… DSA wants to impose constitution amendment on us – aspirants
… All we want is a responsible SUG – Mgt.
Olasunkanmi Akinlotan
The Management and students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta seem to be under-going a silent war over the refusal of the management to conduct the Students Union Government election for 2016/2017 academic session as at when due.
Concerned Students in the polytechnic alleged that the Director of Students Affairs, Seyi Shobande attempted to impose a constitution amendment on the polytechnic Interim Students Representative Council (ISRC).
This accusation was contained in a petition jointly signed by these students spread across the departments in the polytechnic and made available to the PRESS CLUB MAPOLY.
The petitioners also copied the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Suraaj Adekunbi; Commissioner for Education, Modupe Mujota and the Nigeria Union of Journalists among other offices appealing that they should use their good offices to restrain polytechnic authorities from moving to amend the constitution unconstitutionally.
Earlier before the petition, the school management has promised to conduct the election even if it might need to be shifted into the new semester.
According to the petition, pages 31and 32 of article XIV of the constitution which reads, “this constitution shall be amended with the approval of the academic board following recommendations of the SRC on the effect in accordance with the following.
“That a bill of amendment to the constitution stated in precise terms and signed by the mover and seconder shall be delivered to the clerk of the house not later than three days before the advertised date of the meeting of the SRC at the same time copies of such bills shall be pasted on all student union notice board.”
The students however argued that the requirement as provided in the constitution has not been met.
They also said the polytechnic does not have a duly elected SRC in place but a selected ISRC which will in turn constitute the Students’ Union Electoral Committee (SUELECO).
The students who brought parts of the constitution and the petition to the coffers of the Campus Press further revealed that the constitution provided to the ISRC has been distorted as some part of it has been removed.
While speaking to a student who craved anonymity, he said, “the school management has been running this school without the consideration of students’ plights, if a school like our prestigious citadel of learning and our SUG would be suspended because a student misbehaved, that shows democracy in Nigeria is dead as far as MAPOLY is concerned.
“For me, this is the handy work of those around the rector because I know he has been shielded from knowing the truth on what is really happening on campus.
When the DSA was contacted on the issue he said, “all we want is a credible union leader who we can be proud of and confident about.
“I am not interfering into students election but we can only observe, we want a credible election of our students alone! Strictly MAPOLY students devoid of any external involvement.”
The rancor between the students and the management started when the unionists noticed delay in the conduct of the said election which is against their expectations.
However, few of the concerned students who spoke to the PRESS CLUB said they have consulted different stake-holders such as the DSA, Students’ Affairs Officer, Emmanuel Ajibola among others but they have not received any positive response indicating that the management will conduct the election.