Osun Students Move To Stop Election Of ‘Unqualifed Person’ As President

By Ayodele Oni

Sharp division occasioned by move to install an unqualified person as President of the National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) has stalled the election.

Some members of the association on Friday staged protest over the eligibility of some of the candidates aspiring for one office.

It was gathered that the apex students association in Osun State is due to conduct election to elect new leadership on Friday at the NUJ press centre, Osogbo, Osun state capital.

Some students, who had earlier petitioned the Electoral Committee members, staged a protest  to challenge eligiblity of an aspirant, identified as Kazeem Adeoye, who is contesting for president.

Adeoye is said to be a 200 Level student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State. While constitution mandates presidential aspirant to be a 300L student.

The petition partly reads,  “the provision of Article 5, section 28, sub -section (b) of the NAOSS Association, says a contestant vying for the post of President or speaker of the association, without any form of exception, MUST be a 300L student in a recognized Nigerian University or an HND 1 student of a recognized Nigerian Polytechnic.”

The aggrieved students, during the protest gathered at the entrance of the venue, mobilized themselves to boycott the Election if justice is not prevailed.

They carried placards of various inscriptions such as “Say no to Ineligible candidate”, “No Osogbo presidency no Election”, we lack confidence in NAOSSIEC SAY NO TO KANGOROO ELECTION, Osogbo says no to injustice” and others.

Addressing the press thereafter, Adeyemo Abdullah, also known as Triple A, a student at the Department of Office Information Management at the Lead City University, Ibadan, explained that

the students have gathered for the presidential election of the NAOSS, National Association of Osun Students. As an Osogbo indigene, their objective is to vote peacefully.

He said from their observations of the selected candidates, one of them is ineligible to run for president or speaker, according to the NAOSS constitution article 5 section 8 subsection A and B, which states clearly that “the eligible candidates who aspire to go for the post of president or speaker must be 300level students or HND 1.”

According to him, one of the contestants vying for the position of the President of the association, Adeoye Kazeem, from Iperin area Idi-Agbon Ila-Orangun is a 200L student of Adekunle Ajasin Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo state.

The Electoral Committee Chairman, simply identified with his nick as Lugard, was conspicuously absent at the venue of the election and he neither picked his calls nor responded to text message requesting clarification on the eligiblity of Adeoye.