Students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have protested the outcome of their union’s election, accusing the electoral body of manipulating the process to favour ‘management’s candidates’. OLAMIPOSI ALAO reports.
IT was an election that the students had waited for; but in the end, it turned out to be a no-event. It ended in violence.
At the time of this report on Monday, the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was still in turmoil over the election. Also affected by the crisis is Osogbo campus. Students marched on both campuses, demanding the cancellation of the election results. The protesters went wild, destroying school properties and making huge bonfires on the road.
Among the properties destroyed were the Students’ Union Government (SUG) building, the union’s Hiace bus, furniture, editorial boards and lecturers’ vehicles.
Members of the staff and visitors were harassed by the protesters wielding sticks, rods and other dangerous materials. Movement in and out of the campus was hectic.
The election was conducted by e-voting to curb irregularities. But, students said the process was riddled with fraud and malpractice.
They said the election outcome reflected management’s wishes.
They accused management of manipulating the process in favour of its candidates. Many complained of disenfranchisement, accusing Independent LAUTECH Electoral Commission (ILEC) of deliberately leaving them out of the process after succumbing to “management’s pressure”.
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