OAU Students Leaders In Battle Royale Over Supremacy

• As SRC Suspends SUG President, Others Query Illegalty

By Faith Okerinmodun

The Student Representative Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in a sitting held at Awolowo Cafe has suspended the Student Union President Oyekan Ibukun, alongside the Financial Secretary of the Union, Omisakin Kehinde.

According to the Speaker, Falayi Temitope the duo were suspended due to constitutional aberration and disregard for due process.

He said “I gave three submissions to the house of which the house voted for 2 weeks suspension of the duo while a committee should be set up to investigate the issue.”

Speaking with the suspended Students Union President, Oyekan Ibukun, He explained that “I was suspended not because I committed an offence but just on the grounds that I did not inform the Parliament before buying the Red bus to curb the problem we have with transportation on campus. As at the time we wanted to get the bus, the Parliament were in crisis so, we could not tender it to the house of our plans as we had to go get the bus.”

The Deputy Speaker of the Students Representative Council, Onarinde Olufemi who is rumored to have a row with the speaker while commenting said “We must follow due process and we must do the right thing at the right time. As a union. procedures must be followed, We believe in collective responsibility.”

The house had on the 1st of July 2017 went on recess due to the outrage of light before the President was to be declared suspended but on the 2nd of July 2017 the suspension was officially declared.

It should be recalled that the Union claimed to buy a red Toyota Haice ’14’ seater bus at 2.5 million naira. The financial secretary had first told the Student that he bus was worth 2.9 million naira before the President come told them it was bought for 2.5 million naira and this has caused controversies in the Union with persons alleging foul play.

At the sitting held on the 2nd of July, the Vice President of the Union, Jacob Grace, also escaped suspension after she was found guilty of constitutional aberration by the house while some Parliamentarians accused the speaker of shielding her from suspension.

The Speaker said “the Vice President did not follow the constitutional procedures before venturing into the freshers program she conducted for the freshers and she has committed a constitutional aberration, this makes the house to clamour for her suspension.

“The Vice President withdrew #21,000 in the Unions account without the consent of the house and she not presenting the budget to them. It was during the voting that the sitting got disrupted so we are yet to vote to know if she would be suspended or not but I don’t know what the outcome will be in the next sitting” he concluded.

Obafemi Awolowo University Students Union has been enmeshed in controversies lately due to issues of constitutional aberration and alleged corruption.