The President of the Law Students’ Society (LSS), University of Ibadan, Ademola Ajakaiye, has been accused of removing two students from the association’s WhatsApp groups after they shared a campaign flyer supporting Abiola Olaniyi Isaac, a candidate in the ongoing University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UI’SU) presidential election.
The incident was reported by IndyPress on Sunday, October 25, following complaints from the affected students over their removal after sharing the campaign material of a candidate opposing the LSS president’s preferred aspirant.
According to the report, one of the affected students, a 400-level Law student who requested anonymity, said he shared Abiola’s campaign flyer following the Jaw War event.
He explained that the decision came after discussions with classmates who expressed uncertainty about why they should support Abiola.
The student said he initially shared the flyer outside his class group before posting it in the group to explain his support for the candidate.
He maintained that his decision was not intended to antagonise the Law student contesting for the Students’ Union presidency, adding that they were friends.
He further alleged that the class representative and the LSS president deleted his message before he and another student were removed from the association’s WhatsApp groups.
The student expressed concern about the implications of the incident for the ongoing election, arguing that the response to his campaign activity raised questions about the association’s position on students’ freedom to support candidates of their choice.
The second affected student, also told IndyPress that he was removed from faculty WhatsApp groups after sharing Abiola’s campaign flyer in his class group.
He similarly alleged that he was given no prior warning before his removal.
LSS President Responds
When contacted by IndyPress for comments, Ajakaiye did not directly address the allegations surrounding the students’ removal.
Instead, he asked the reporter to seek clarification from his own hostel regarding the removal of a resident from a hostel WhatsApp group before returning to him for a response.
He subsequently told the reporter not to contact him again on the matter without first taking that step.
The incident comes amid campaigning for the October 31 UI’SU election, raising concerns about the use of faculty association platforms during the electoral process and the treatment of students who express support for opposing candidates.
Credit: IndyPress
