First, let us consider the facts and major bones of contention, for the sake of clarity, and reiteration.
The BAMSSA election was designated to hold on the 10th of November, 2021 but was postponed due to many issues, major of which are candidate issues and the examination.
Miss Obakoya Iyanujesu, a presidential candidate was absent on the day designated for the candidate screening exercise.
A day prior to the screening exercise, Mr. Azeez Ibrahim – who was till then an aspirant for the office of the Vice president – declared his intention to run for the presidential office.
Like in all instances of political competition, there are issues, gimmicks and sometimes legal strategies, employed as means to power assumption. However, this situation is very peculiar; it is pertinent to exercise caution before assuming a judgmental stance. In the subsequent paragraphs, I will go over the story from the perspectives of all the parties involved; Mr. Azeez, Miss Obakoya and finally, the electoral committee. I will also – by the dictates of due process – point out the judgmental errors made by each party. After which, I will state what I deduce is the reason for the escalation – participatory deficit.
MR AZEEZ IBRAHIM AND HIS OVERNIGT DECLARATION – WHAT HAPPENED?
Quite naturally, the re-declaration of intent came as a shocker to most of the students of the Faculty. By virtue of the instruction that was sent out by the electoral committee, this action should not have been permitted and in the event of extreme measures, may attract a disqualification.
After the situation erupted into a show of discord, a call was put through to Mr. Azeez to confirm the motive and process of the re-declaration. According to what he said, he had the intention of re-declaring as early as October. Also, he mentioned that he enquired from the Chairperson of the electoral committee before October ended. Specifically and as corroborated by Miss Ajayi Mercy – the chairperson of the committee – he made the call on the 28th of October.
It cannot be overlooked however that he officially made the payment for the form purchase on the 5th of October after the deadline stipulated by the committee has passed. Furthermore, he did not submit the letter of re-declaration – as requested by the chairman of the electoral committee chairperson – until 7th of October 2021.
This then begs the question, why did he wait till hours (36 at most) prior to the screening to make his intentions known? If Mr. Azeez made any error of judgment there, it would be that of timing. Did he follow any semblance of due process? Yes. Did his choice of time look like political sabotage? Yes.
The above facts however point us to the next part of the puzzle, why did the electoral committee allow such a breach of due process?
THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE, UNASWERED QUESTIONS AND THE ATTEMPT AT REDEMPTION
If Mr. Azeez did successfully make the transition to contesting for the presidency without disqualification, the electoral committee must have permitted him. In a bid to confirm if the transition had any form of due process in it, the chairperson of the electoral committee – Miss Ajayi Mercy – was contacted.
According to her, Mr. Azeez reached out to her on the 28th of October to confirm if he can switch to presidency. She further stated that she gave him the go-ahead and requested him to submit a letter that explains the initial indecision. She further stated that the payment for the form came in 5th of November 2021.
When asked as to why it was allowed, she alluded to the fact that none of the candidates had submitted the form by that date. She continued and said that since everyone was allowed the grace of submission extension even after the deadline, Mr. Azeez was given the privilege of late purchase. She stated that if she went by the very broadcast instructions being referenced, most aspirants have earned a disqualification.
While she did give these reasons, there are obvious errors of judgment and assault on the very concept of due process. The electoral committee did admit this error in a recent broadcast message sent out on the 23rd of November 2021.
MISS IYANUJESU, GRIEVANCES AND RADICAL STEPS
On the day of the screening, the other presidential candidate was conspicuously absent. This – in deference to the pre-existing twist – raised eyebrows and triggered questions. It is important to state here that absence automatically means disqualification. Miss Iyanujesu was contacted on the 10th of November about her absence from the screening.
During the conversation, she made mention of some important things;
She said that she felt destabilized by the sudden re-declaration of Mr. Azeez on the day prior to the screening.
She also did mention that as a result of what she considered a breach of due process, she motioned to opt out of the political race. She contacted the chairperson of the electoral committee on 7th of November 2021 – the day of the screening. This piece of information was confirmed by the Chairperson of the committee. According to the information gotten from her, she was asked to submit a letter that indicated her reasons for opting out.
She said that her absence was not about the competition, but as a means of protest a breach of the rules by Mr. Azeez and the electoral committee.
On 9th of November 2021, she did send a letter of Apology (not a letter for opting out) to the electoral committee. In the letter, she explicitly stated her discontent with the decision of the committee in respect to Mr. Azeez’s candidacy.
Was she right to be angry (of course, this is an emotion) about the switch? Yes she definitely is. It does appear like political sabotage. Did she have a point about the legitimacy of the decision? Yes she does. Did she air her grievances the right way? No, she didn’t! Of course, this is an obvious error of judgment on her part. There are procedures through which she could have complained without the complications.
THE FACULTY, ARM CHAIR CRITICS AND THE PROTARCTED DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
In situations of this gravity, it is quite expected to see the electorates demand accountability. Common sense demands that you allow nothing take away your franchise. However, accountability can only be demanded when the right structures exist.
For instance, when Mr. Azeez declared his intention to run for presidency, the decision was met with a surprising silence. Most people did not understand what it was and how it affects the Faculty politics. The noise came much later with people pulling sensational stunts and asking the wrong questions. Some individuals were simply just concerned about the date postponement; some were plainly look for whom to apportion the blame for the fall-out to.
By now, the consequence of our apathy with deference to accountability and political stability should be obvious to everyone. Take a look at these points for instance
The constitution gives full authority to make any decision concerning elections to the electoral committee; no checks and balances. Under natural circumstances, there should be an oversight mechanism for this (in the place of a legislative council).
The electoral committee – in admittance to its error of judgment – sought to use the advice of the Faculty legislative council. The correspondent was a standing committee overseen by departmental presidents in the Faculty.
Even up till the last election, only one individual showed interest in legislative activity in the whole faculty. So much for demanding accountability don’t you think?
Something more like it, there were agitations as to the silence of the press when the rock came crashing. I found it quite amusing however that students remember the existence of the press all of a sudden. It gave me quite a wonder where the awareness (or is it sudden interest) disappeared to when the recruitments were on. Who asked questions? Which questions were asked?
I should also point out; by the way that responsible reporting – especially in the instance of a conflict – is never sensational or quick to judge. Instead, it provides accurate information and proffers solution after considering the perspectives of all parties involved.
How many individuals opted in? How many have stayed committed? How many understand the challenges the press face? How many have left faculty journalism to take on political adventures? Responsibility demands that we do not expect others to solve problems for us.
If you are indeed concerned about changing things or demanding accountability, be intuitive and get involved. Till the members of the Faculty wake up to address this participatory deficit, we should forget about getting a solution.
Yours in the fourth estate
- Timileyin Precious
PS: The Press is way too low on man-power, please pick up the form when next it is out. Do that at least for a change.
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