By Press Council
Aggrieved students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, have faulted the election results of the institutions Students’ Union election.
It was barely 24hours to the end of the election that students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, embarked on a peaceful protest; by locking the institution’s main entrance and placards with different inscriptions hung around the gate.
However, due to the swift intervention of the security operatives of the institution, Maintenance, normalcy was restored on campus.
While dispersing the crowd, the Chief Security Officer of the institution, enjoined the students to express their grievances by writing petitions.
“My children, one thing I want you to know is that if a party suffers defeat in an election, the party would write a petition to the court, not by gathering people around.
“”I understand your grievances, but let’s do things in the wrong way, we are for you and you are for us.” – he added.
Expressing their grievances, some students, who pleaded anonymity, spoke with Press Council’s correspondence.
“We are not saying that we cannot lose an election, but what happened yesterday is not fit to be called a free and fair election, it was pure rigging.
“”Firstly, why would they stop Press Council from live streaming the election process, as planned? Why did they add extra minutes to the election time, when it’s not football? All these are because of the evil agenda they want to carry out.” a female student alleged.
“I can say it anywhere this our Dean, Students’ Affairs, is the only problem we are having in this school. His style of leadership is a dictatorship form, he is an oppressor” another student accused.
Arriving at the scene, the Dean, Students’ Affairs, Mr Makinde Joseph, attended to the allegations levelled against him.
“It is peculiar that a winner emerges in any election, and this isn’t excluded as well. I want you to know that we are an umpire, we do not have a candidate.
“”The election was free and fair, and this is obvious to your agents that were on ground, in fact, they all signed that the process was free and fair.
“”By the way, you have the freedom and right to write us your petition. We only announced the winner of the election, we didn’t swear him in and his victory isn’t official yet. So, write your petitions and we’ll take it up from there” – he added.
However, all efforts of Mr Makinde, to proclaim the election as a free and fair exercise, proved abortive, as students trooped out in masses with proves and evidences that the election was rigged.
“I wanted to vote, but the thing was saying my details have been used by someone else, the guy beside me tried casting his vote as well, it said the same thing””I know of several people that voted, but were told that their votes were not found, how come? It is too obvious that this election was rigged.” a student explained.
In his response, Mr Makinde claimed it caused by people who might have requested for it earlier. However, some students nullified this claim, insisting the management used the Biometrics capturing to get their details which the Dean allegedly used in manipulating the results of the election.
“As I am, there’s no body that can walk up to me and ask me for my matric number, so I am certain that I didn’t give it out, it was the management that manipulated the votes by using our details gathered during the Biometrics” a student analyzed.
“The number on my portal is different from the one I used for Biometrics. So when I first tried my glo number, which is the one on my portal, it didn’t go. It was until I used the second one that I used for Biometrics that I was able to log in, I logged in only to realize that my vote has been casted by another person entirely.
“Citing the unethical relationship between the Dean and Okiki, the students accused the Dean of being siding a candidate against the code and conduct of his office. The students also accused Mr Makinde of severally meeting with Okiki, and incessant visits of the CIDM, shortly hours before the election.
However, as at the time this report is being gathered, petitions are being signed to the Dean and students are clamouring to the management of the institution to look into the election process and come up with a positive solution, by organizing another election.
