Management of the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has sacked the current leadership of the institution’s Students’ Union Government (SUG).
This was as management of the Edo state-owned institution claimed that the tenure of the affected Students’ Union leaders had expired and are to vacate office “with immediate effect.”
The directive was contained in a circular sighted by CAMPUS GIST dated 16th August, 2022, and endorsed by the Polytechnic’s Students’ Affairs Officer, Okoudoh I. Paul.
The Polytechnic based its actions on the Union’s Constitution which it claims stipulates that student leaders are to quit office 28 days before commencement of exams.
Mr. Paul further directed the affected Union leaders to handover all school property in their possession within 24 hours of the announcement.
The Students’ Affairs Officer, however, thanked the outgoing Union members for their services to the School during their tenure.
Meanwhile, in a separate memo sighted by CAMPUS GIST dated 16th August, 2022, the Usen Poly Management gave the nod for a fresh poll to elect new sets of SUG leadership.
The circular was again endorsed by Okoudoh I. Paul, the institution’s Students’ Affairs Officer, on behalf of Management.
While Wednesday, 17th August, 2022, was fixed for screening of the SUG aspirants, just a day; Thursday, 18th August, 2022 was set aside for campaigns, manifestoes, election and handover.
The development has been met with strong criticism from some student leaders in Edo who questioned the “impromptu” exercise as announced by the Usen Poly Management.
They accused the Management of illegality by embarking on an election without an existing Independent Student Electoral Commission (ISEC), a proper election Time Table or defined screening of aspirants.
Efforts to obtain comments from the affected union leaders and the Poly Management probed abortive. The union leaders were yet to formally react to the development as at the time of filing this report.
