…My take on the 10-0 contest.
Oluwatobi Odeyinka, Associate Editor
Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic on Friday went to the poll to elect new executive members of the Students’ union.
The election, which was conducted through electronic voting, took place under tensed atmosphere of bullying, allegations, counter-allegations and bedeviling suspicions.
Well, it is common knowledge that there are two or three political blocs on MAPOLY Campus, albeit illegal or I should say unrecognized, previous elections with no exception to Friday’s are approached not on the assessment of individual candidates but based on the acceptability of each of these political blocs.
The election was accurately predicted by some notorious unionists, whose identities I would not disclosed and even though they have no T.B. J. in their midst, their unanimous prophesy came to pass. One seem to understand the gimmicks of MAPOLY politics so well when he said, “MAPOLY is set for a new direction, a ‘journey’ with ‘money’, not that Journey with oversized four-piece suit.” Hmmm, I watched with keen curiosity and it was only when the election was concluded, and it was clear who the winner was and I saw him in obvious exuberance and delight that I understood his parable.
I had better stop shaking this table or I am gifted some slaps (Egbon, I am not feeling fine o). The election was conducted and the students made their choices, it was a 10-0 if you know what I mean. I shall congratulate the winners, and say kudos to the losers for putting up a fight and of course, a bigger congratulation to MAPOLY Students for we now have a Union.
There might be no tribunal for appeal but definitely, the unfavoured party would query, accuse, allege and wail with ‘wide mouths’ typical of politicians. I anticipate these rants and wailings, and I would be very magnanimous to help them with a reason cogent enough to say ‘perhaps the election was rigged.’
At the manifesto on Thursday, there was downpour of promises and pledges from all candidates and no doubt they all seem to have great agenda for their respective posts. Here is where critical assessment should come in, but I was disappointed. If none of the candidates from the other party is worth a mandate, then we should check the electorates, for the manifesto was nothing but a ritual that must be fulfilled. But that is not where I am going, my opponents in this ring are SUELECO and the self-anointed observer (you know who that is?).
I am old enough to have witnessed the last two Nigerian general elections and I observed that no polling unit is devoid of at least one election observer, not a self anointed one but an independent one whose trust can be vouched by the electoral commission, the candidates and most importantly the electorates.
While the Students Union Election Committee (SUELECO) led by Adesola Nurudeen did not make provision for election observers, the Press Club MAPOLY, having fulfilled all requirements to be the only registered news agency on campus and having understood the social responsibilities of the Press decided to handle the task of observing and watching over the election.
Members of the Press Club, rather than getting commendations and accolades for the show of magnanimity were embarrassed and humiliated. The former counselor of the school who is now a Deputy Registrar, Dr. Rotimi Olukoya not only anointed himself election observer and supervisor, he attempted to deny members of Press Club access to the Information and Communication Technology Center, where the election was held. Another man who apparently have no respect for fellow human being, someone who probably forgot to take his psycho-medications, he matched into the ICT Center, arms akimbo like an army who never completed his military training, despite his realization that we are Press men (we had our Id Cards on us), the man asked what audacity we had to observe a students’ union election; he did not stop there, he hurled on manner of insults on these innocent guys and called them all sorts of unprintable names. I am dismayed that I do not know his name, but surely this man does not belong in an academic community, but in garages or motor parks.
Meanwhile, as one that is well trained I shall not disrespect my elders, especially our former councilor whom I hold in high esteem, but I shall educated our ‘Baba of boys’; the inexperienced and ill-informed SUELECO Chairman; and most especially, the uncultured nameless man, about the significance of having independent election observers in order to fulfill all righteousness before politically-savvy students.
Election observers help to: engage citizens in the election process; deter fraud; expose problems and irregularities; provide an accurate measure of the quality of the election; promote confidence in the process and outcomes; and provide recommendations for improving the process for the next election. The motive of Press club to take up the challenge was simply to ensure electoral integrity, and promote students’ participation.
Well, we anticipate apologies from relevant quarters and hope that necessary adjustments are made. I congratulate Owoiya Razak Oluwatobiloba and his team for the victory (which in my opinion) is well deserved. I look forward to true unionism of promotion of unity, orderliness and healthy relationship between students, the school authority and government.
In your hands, rights of MAPOLY students must be guaranteed and we should not be taken back to the era of violence, thuggery and unnecessary exuberance, all in the name of unionism.
Here is my one cent and as I always say, God bless MAPOLY! God bless this allurement in the ancient city of Abeokuta.
