By UCJ Election Watchroom Desk
On November 2, 2025, a broadcast message began spreading on the University of Ibadan WhatsApp communities, indicating the lifting of the ban on all electioneering processes for the 2024/2025 session. That message further explained that candidates could begin campaigns, which, however, most have already begun subtly. While the “lifting of the ban” has been long expected by the university community, the sudden existence of an electoral committee without the ratification of the Student Representative Council (SRC) has prompted a lot of raised eyebrows.
The major process of constituting an electoral committee at the national and state levels accounts for some form of checks and balances. At the national level, as contained in Sections 153 and 154 of the Nigerian Constitution, the formation of the membership and chairmanship of the national electoral commission is subject to the ratification of the Senate despite executive nomination.
In a university system that tries to mirror the democratic ideals of the nation, one would expect that the status quo is also followed. In fact, it is followed but not at the Student Union level. A quick assessment of the constitutions of subordinate student bodies at the faculty, hall, and departmental levels in the University of Ibadan mirrors this principle of checks and balances that is nonexistent at the Union’s level. Typical examples include the Association of Faculty of Arts Students (AFAS), Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, and Sultan Bello Hall, among others, where nominations by the executive council for the electoral commission are subject to the ratification of the municipal representative council.
Nevertheless, the case is different at the Student Union level. As illustrated by the formation of the latest electoral committee, the Student Representative Council (SRC) did not stand as a check to the formation of the committee. This issue is, however, a fundamental one because it stems from the Student Union Constitution, which does not explicitly provide that the SRC ratify the formation of an electoral committee. It does not even clearly provide for the process of nominating members of the committee.
While it is understandable that elections are sensitive, more so for the institution facilitating and managing the electoral process, it becomes perilous if students are not involved in the process of selecting those who would be conducting their elections. The end of student leadership is that students have people in positions that represent their interests. If that is compromised at such a pivotal stage as this, then the groundwork for a possible non-student-focused student union leadership is being laid.
The status quo undermines the ability of students to make decisions and ensure that those representing them are actually representing their interests. Each member of the SRC is not a member of the council on their own accord but rather for the purpose of representing the interests of the students. Actions and decisions that SRC members take should ideally be representative of their constituency. The ratification or rejection of an electoral committee by the SRC follows the unsaid notion that the student populace has either ratified or rejected such a committee, as the case may be. In consequence, the status quo has eradicated such a framework, making the current electoral committee not approved by the students.
Is the SRC Concerned about this Breach?
The members of the Student Representative Council have been uncharacteristically silent about this issue. In fact, it appears not to be an issue at all considering the grave silence of the Speaker and his house on the matter. The representative council should be “representing” the students; however, they simply seem to be representing their interests.
A member of the SRC who spoke to UCJUI notes that the Council was not at any point consulted during the process of constituting the Student Union Electoral Commission (SUEC). He further explains that while the Union’s constitution does not explicitly provide for the ratification of the SUEC by the SRC, it is only proper that it happens.
“It is only reasonable that the SRC, which is the representative policymaking body of the Union, ratify such a committee,” he said.
Another issue concerning the SRC in relation to the SUEC is that some members of the SRC resigned their positions just to get a spot on the school management-constituted electoral commission. The connotative message underlying this action is simply a derogatory remark to the constituencies that they should be representing.
The member of the SRC spoken with also strongly condemns such a move, labelling it a “disregard for the people you were elected to represent.”
“Vacating a representative role, not in the interest of service of those who elected you, but in pursuit of a seat on the SUEC, raises serious concerns about respect for the people whose interests you swore to represent and defend,” he said.
This disregard of the SRC by both its members and the school management undermines the sanctity and legitimacy of the body in presiding over matters that have to do with student welfare. If a basic activity like elections is completely devoid of the representative council’s decision-making, then what’s the representative council’s competence in other important matters? Is the SRC decision-making really of consequence in the scheme of things regarding the relationship of students with the management? The status quo provides a negative answer.
What are Students Saying?
Speaking to UCJUI, Precious* thinks that most people do not really see this issue as a problem, but mentions that the situation should not be so.
“But it is not supposed to be so. Nobody is talking about it because the management itself is not following due process,” she said. “The members of the committee ought to be referred to the council for scrutiny and approval.”
James* sees the resignation of members of the House in a bid to get into the electoral committee as a blatant disregard for the student populace.
“That is a sign that these students are only concerned about their own interests and do not prioritise the students that they should be representing,” he said.
In the same vein, Grace* thinks that the constitution and leadership of the committee by the school management raise the ease and possibility of the elections being influenced by the management.
“The management can easily influence the trajectory of the elections if they want to, compared to if the committee had a more independent stance,” she said.
Elections are one of the defining features of any representative democracy because they provide the opportunity for electorates to select those who will represent their interests in power. The constitution of an electoral committee should follow that same logic. It should be constituted in a manner that ensures that the interests of the electorate are prioritised in every sphere of its operation.
