Abdulrazaq Fatoki
Although the unopposed contest is not a new phenomenon in the electoral system in Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, however, it is capable of demeaning the strength of student unionism.
As an election remains a platform given to eligible voters to elect the candidate of their choice who will represent them at appropriate designation, one will agree that it must be all-inclusive participation. Sadly, the reverse is the case in the MAPOLY Student Union Government.
The low turnout in the just concluded election point to the reality that the unopposed contest is weakening students’ unionism on campus.
How come there are no capable candidates to contest the election in the whole five schools of the Polytechnic? Or is it that the students are just tired of unionism?
Through research and based on history, activities of unionism in MAPOLY have been known to be the most active in the whole Nigeria polytechnic.
Gone are those days, when students would troop out en-masse to perform their civic right by voting for respected candidates without anybody persuading them but these days, it appears that the students had lost interest.
It used to be an exciting and challenging scenario when aspirants are dishing out their manifestos before the student populace. The campaigning moment, too, is usually expected as aspirants come out to persuade students.
But what happened at the last election is undemocratic and reflects the feebleness in the student union on campus.
We can trace the dying union spirit to department politics, where some groups of students have the mindset that the leadership position of the school is their birthright and will want to deploy all means to secure the seat. This approach to playing the school politics game somehow makes minority departments shudder and steadily withdraw from the political terrain.
As election remains the process of selecting candidates who will represent the interest of the students before the school authority, we must look into detrimental reasons why elections should be unopposed.
1. Inadequate Representation
When students do not have the choice of candidates to select from, they become nonpartisan because it is apparent the candidate that emerged will not represent the interest of the students.
2. Poor Governance
The democratic process is designed to empower general members and a constant slate of uncontested elections circumvent that process. The emerging candidate will not have opposition to criticize it or even checkmate its activities.
These are some of the reasons students are restrained from participating in school unionism and to revive the dying spirit of Aluta in the student body, all the departments and unionist leaders have to restructure their system.
