By: Ogunyemi Victor

A group of dissenting members of the Students’ Representative Council has kicked against the postponement of congress, which was resolved for at the last UI’SRC ordinary sitting held on Saturday, June 22, 2024.

The dissenting members in the Students’ Representative Council are Hon. Babatimehin Peace; Hon. Obirija Somtochukwu; Hon. Nice Linus; Hon. Muhammed Okunola; Hon. Mojoyinola Okikiola and Hon. Olawale Olajide.

In a release by the group on Thursday, 27th June 2024, the six honorable members noted that they “lack(ed) faith in the apparatus (Executive Council) in which the duty of sensitisation of students on the stand of the University, and mobilization for the Congress was entrusted”.

The group, which identified as ‘Egbe Majeobaje‘ a tagline that translates into ‘Concerned Group’, refused to accept attempt which undermined the resolve for a general meeting of students as the Legislative Council had agreed upon.

“We also reject every attempt to sabotage the Congress of Students scheduled for Saturday, 29th of June, 2024. We hold that according to Article XIII, section 3 of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Constitution (Herein referred to as ‘the constitution’), the Students Representative Council has the power to summon a Congress by resolution — of which, resolution 2 of Agenda 4 of the resolutions of the First ordinary sitting of council sufficiently fulfils” the statement by the Honorable members read.

“In the absence of the President, Vice-President, and even the Speaker, the Congress reserves the power to elect one of its members to preside over it. We therefore reject the attempt to stall the Congress on the premise of the absence of the President and the Vice-President” the statement added.

Calling the principal officers of the Students’ Union and the Speaker to order, the group admonished the students leaders to desist from ‘absconding from the Congress‘.

“We call on the principal officers of the Union, and the Speaker, to refrain from absconding from the Congress, as their primary commitment is to the Students of the University of Ibadan and not any other frivolities” the statement reads.

“We reiterate that we remain committed to ensuring adequate representation of the members of the Students Union, and therefore consider it imperative that the Congress holds” it reads further.

“We, in the same vein, call on the Generality of Students of the University of Ibadan to attend the Congress scheduled for Saturday to discuss the issue of school fee increase among other issues affecting the student by the protests”.

In a separate chat with IndyPress, two of the Students’ Union Legislative Council members, Babatimehin Peace and Obirija Somtochukwu faulted the Students’ Union Executive Council for violating the supremacy of the constitution, on the basis that the Executive Council could not call off a Congress it did not have an authority to call in the first place.

“Of course, the Union executive committee is in violation of the University of Ibadan Students Union Constitution. The word Congress was mentioned 18 times in the Constitution, but at no point did it give the committee the power to postpone a Congress of Students. He can’t even call one, let alone this. It’s quite unfortunate, but I guess that’s what you get when you have Union leaders without ideological foregrounding that pay nothing beyond lip service to the Union members and the Constitution that guides said Union” Babatimehin Peace said.

“The postponement of the Congress can be defined in one word: unconstitutional. The President does not have the constitutional power to call a Congress, let alone postpone one summoned by the House without any consultation with the House” Somtochukwu Obirija noted.