Oko students decry e-voting election

By Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo

THE student community of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, has decried the outcome of the Students Union Government just concluded executive election. The students have taken to various forms and medium to react and express dissatisfaction to the system and process of election.

According to reports, the election, which was said to have held on May 5, 2021, was an aberration, disenfranchisement of the rights of the students and an unconstitutional hijack of the system.

 In an interview with some of the students who pleaded anonymity, they expressed disappointment by the ills that rocked the system and process against the assured promises of the management.

 “We anticipated a credible and fair electoral process but it seemed the management hijacked the process against the promises they made to us. The system and process were said to be credible, clean, fair and free, devoid of the managements interest but the reverse seemed the case.

 “We saw a lot of insincerity in the system like access codes buying, hacking of the site to favour a candidate, disenfranchisement of the students and lots more. We have called on the management for a redress but until now, no call in respect to that has been made. We plead with the authorities in the education sector to wade in on this and forestall any impending aggressive disruption, “they added.

  A female student who simply identified herself as Angel said, “with the way this election went, I see us, the students suffer more than we did in this present regime.

  “Credible candidates who even opposed the constitutional breaches they carried out were designed to loose in that e-voting thing.”

 Another student, Anaegbunam Arinze, had this to say, “I am a presidential candidate in this election that has birthed this restlessness amongst students in the polytechnic community. This election would have held on March 27, 2021, but was disrupted by rioting students who seemingly were sponsored by some unidentified superior powers.    

  “However, upon cancellation of the first, the e-voting system of election was unconstitutionally introduced and this gave rise to the nursing of fears amongst students but in obedience to democracy, we accepted the introduction when a larger percentage of the candidates voted in favour of the system.

  “Nonetheless, our fears were attended to theoretically where we were assured of the heavy security and impenetrability of the domain, that all eligible students would get the access codes, they would forestall vote buying and a whole lot more assurances.  “Shockingly, all of these assurances were flouted and woefully failed. We have petitioned the system and process but yet to receive credible response from the management. We are honestly and direly pleading with the federal government, the state government, the National Association of Nigerian Students, National Association of Polytechnic Students, all education and student stakeholders to weigh in on this matter and arrest the tensions and lurking aggression perceived,” he concluded.

 Efforts to reach the Director of Students Affairs was not possible as the director was not accessible as at press time.