Ahead of the October 10 governorship election in Ondo state, students leaders from various tertiary institutions in the state, on Tuesday dissociated themselves from a report, claiming that all students leaders in all tertiary institutions, had endorsed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for second term in office.
The Students Union Government (SUG) Presidents numbering six, while addressing members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ondo State, denied the claim that they had all endorsed the governor.
SUG President of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Oluwasegun Obagunwa, who red a press statement issued and signed by all the SUG presidents said, “the entire Students Union Governments (SUGs) Presidents across all campuses in Ondo State hereby dissociate ourselves from the publication from an unrecognized body, Aketi Students Support Group, connecting us with a declaration of support for the second term bid of the incumbent governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).
Obagunwa revealed that SUG presidents across higher institutions in the state had been offered bribe to endorse Governor Akeredolu, but they turned down the offer because the governor had refused to reverse the increments in tuitions of all state-owned institutions in the state.
The statement reads further, “We as students leaders have series of requests on the table of Mr. Governor seeking full reversal of the tuition increments across all campuses.
“We also demand full implementation of all agreements earlier reached with the students to uplift infrastructure on campuses”.
The angry students leaders therefore called on state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Dotun Owanikin, to call the group to order.
“We sought for peace among all students and we appeal to all politicians to take politics off our campus. We have not in any way or form, supported the reelection bid of Mr. Akeredolu or any other aspirants from any other politics party in the state. If need be to endorse anyone we will consider our students interest first before doing that”, they said.
According to Obagunwa, SUG presidents across all institutions of higher learning had written and submitted a petition to the state Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami on Monday to effect the arrest of the group of impostors, led by one Emmanuel Akeredolu, who they said are not students.
They however, urged the CP to take action immediately in order to avoid face-off between them and the impostors who were already denting the image of authentic students of tertiary institutions in the state.
