Students’ leaderships differ on Ondo by-election

By ENI SAMUEL

The inconclusive by-election in Ilaje-Esa-Odo Federal constituency of Ondo state has pitted the national leadership of Nigerian students against its Ondo indigenes counterpart.

Due to the infiltration by politicians, students’ leadership in Nigeria has, over time, fractionalized with each airing opinions that favours their sponsors, to the detriment of the collective interest of their supposed constituency.

The Ilaje-Esa Odo by-election, conducted last weekend and declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is creating another fertile ground for the students’ leadership to display their ever-festering acrimony.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was the first to react to the development.

While staging a peaceful protest in Akure on Wednesday, NANS called on the INEC to declare Kolade Akinjo winner of the election.

Akinjo, Labour Party candidate, was a president of the Students’ Union during his days as a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

NANS also called for the sack of Musiliu Obanikoro, Minister of state for Defense, who had been indicted by the Ondo state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Akin Orebiyi, for allegedly playing ignoble role in the election.

The protestors were led by NANS National Financial Secretary, Timileyin Ayenuro; and its Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Asefon Sunday.

Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the students described the failure of the electoral body to declare the winner of the election as illegal.

However, the National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS) addressed a press conference on Wednesday to express their disagreement with NANS’ position.

The National President of the association, Awodola Afolayan, urged the INEC not to allow politicians to pressurize it to act against the electoral act.

“It is sad that after the election had been conducted, some people set out to pressurize INEC to facilitate the result and announce the result of an inconclusive election in a place where voting has not been exercised by more than 28,000 electorate in an affected ward in this constituency.

“It is a known fact that the margin between the leading candidate and the first runner-up is lesser than 2,000 votes. Without equivocation, the remaining polling unit must be conducted as it can affect the result of the election positively.

“We therefore advice our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues to kindly open wide their intellectual acumen to make judgement through their votes by voting for candidates of their choices that will represent diligently their interest through harnessing the area considering their present state of underdevelopment.

“We also advice that all forms of deceit should be shunned and vote for someone that has integrity and also have the interest of the general masses ahead of their personal interest,” Afolayan said.