by UCJ Election Watchroom
Awofeso Ayomide, a 400-level law student and the pioneer of the Dynamic Era movement, is one of two candidates running for President of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UI’SU).
At the Students’ Union Electoral Commission (SUEC) screening on October 24, 2026, he scored 78.43 against Mr Olaniyi’s 82.17.
His student status and the movement he leads are his own account; clearance at screening is the independent confirmation that he is eligible to contest.
The Pitch
The Dynamic Era presents four pillars as a checklist for every future decision, as Mr Awofeso describes them in an interview.
Adaptability means adjusting solutions when problems change without losing the core vision.
Proactiveness means dealing with small symptoms before they become systemic problems.
Inclusivity means that every student should directly experience at least a few key innovations of the administration.
Sustainability means moving away from short-term, competitive initiatives meant to outshine predecessors and favouring long-term fixes and continuity.
These are values rather than programmes, and the summary records no definite timelines or measurable targets.
The inclusivity pillar comes closest to a testable promise, because “a few key innovations” can be listed and counted, and a voter is entitled to ask which innovations, by when and at what cost.
The sustainability pillar raises a different test. A president who promises continuity should say which existing programmes he would keep and which he would end.
The said pillars fit the Union’s founding purpose, which the University describes as fostering and managing students’ athletic, social and cultural interests, providing a forum, and acting as a channel for student involvement in the University’s management.
What the pillars say little about is the Union’s advocacy role towards management, which critics argue has been neglected as the Union has leaned too heavily towards dialogue that in certain case it had run the madness of the being the Management’s megaphone against students interest.
An example of this is in the case of the initial judgment of the Federal High Court in favour of University of Ibadan students who sued the VC and the school management in court, where the current SU president, during his bid to parrot support for the management, said the valid judgment of a court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not stand.
His Own Account of His Record
Mr Awofeso is notably forthcoming about his past, and several of his admissions seem to cut against his own interest.
He says he was active in aspirant WhatsApp groups in 100 level, where his humour won friends and what he calls “bad PR”.
He went to talk about how he lost the Law Students’ Society PRO contest by a landslide, a seeming admission against his own interest, but a humble gesture by someone who may see leadership as not a do-or-die affair.
He also says he contested JCI UI presidency in 300 level, under a rule that required 50 per cent plus one. Two rivals who were in their final year were disqualified at screening, and voters cast void ballots in the belief that it would force a fresh election.
The contest ran through four election cycles, and his share of the vote rose from 33 to 43 per cent. And yet still did not eventually win.
He says he stayed in JCI and directed its foremost project the following year, which the chapter’s programme records and the project’s own reports could confirm.
He further makes an argument about character and capability. In the interview, he holds that capability has objective standards, such as portfolios and a verified track record, whereas character in politics is subjective and easily distorted by rumour.
He is right that people change and that rumour distorts reputations. But the president of the Union handles public funds and public trust under the Constitution, and conduct with money, handling of students’ interest issues, approvals and records are checkable in documents rather than rumour.
The two ideas need not be set against each other. The sensible way to apply his own test is to hold both candidates’ capability and conduct to the same documentary standard.
Another thing that is further interesting is how members of his camp have resorted to the very thing he mentioned about character, in spreading rumours that try to distort the character of his opponent by beating fact into senselessness.
And so no visible effort has been seen from his end to either rein these persons in or to dissociate from that style of politicking.
What He Must Answer
Mr Awofeso offers voters a vocabulary of principle. What he has not yet supplied is the evidence a voter needs to price it: alongside the offices he has held, what he delivered in them, the specific innovations every student would experience and their cost; and a welfare issue he has championed while being a member of all these committees.
He should also explain how he would ensure that Union Week and Freshers’ Week budgets are approved on time before any money is spent. It would also help to clarify where he stands on the ₦50 million controversy and other unconstitutionalities observed in the current administration.
