Abidemi Akinola, Registrar, Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele, Abeokuta was shut last week Friday to avert violent situation and probable blood letting after the election of the Students Union Government of the institution was inconclusive.
According to him, a faction of the students kicked against the result of the election held on August 27th as some results of the election were unfolding, saying results of the election angered some section of the students and that prompted them to bombard the Provost’s residence around 12 midnight, demanding the annulment of the election.
Akinola explained that all efforts by the Provost, Ayodele Ajayi, to pacify the agitated students proved abortive as they insisted on annulment of the election, explaining that the management had no other option except to abruptly end academic activities and shut down the school.
He said, “The election was very peaceful until some agitated students went to the Provost at 12:30 am demanding that the election should be nullified.
“They made all sorts of rigging allegation claims. But the Provost told them that the election cannot be nullified on the strength of a factional argument.
“The school set up a panel to look into the election and asked the students to go back to their studies. The same set of agitated students insisted that they would not resume until the panel’s report is turned in.
“The school had to act to forestall breakdown of law and order. We are the most peaceful campus in Ogun State and that is largely due to our proactive attitude and the make up of our students. We train teachers and teachers train future leaders,” Akinola said.
Meanwhile, in separate interviews, the two candidates for the SUG presidency of the school, Olaiya Dayo and Afolabi Ayodeji, gave different positions on the panel set up to look into the election.
Dayo, a Political Science student said he would abide by the decision of the panel, but Ayodeji disagreed and said that he would not accept anything short of being declared the winner of the election.
