By: Patrick Ezihe

If you have walked the corridors of the halls and faculties within the University of Ibadan this semester, you might have probably noticed a prevalent sight: faces everywhere. Not the fatigued faces of sleep-deprived students returning from TDB (Till Day Break), or those rushing to 7 AM ectures, but the A4-sized printed faces of some student politicians. Students who believe the best way to push their political agenda is by being the first to redecorate our walls.

Faces, faces, faces. They are all there, smiling down at us from the walls, pillars, and notice boards, with the intent to imprint themselves on our minds. But Let’s call it what it is, defacement.

Hostel walls, meant to be pristine, notice boards meant to be adorned with informative and educative posters are now battlegrounds for campaign branding. You can’t walk into Mellanby, Tedder, Zik or Indy without being ‘accosted’ by a student politician’s face plastered around the halls’ environments. The walls have turned into political galleries. We have rows of mugshots screaming for validation.

It is worth mentioning a section in the University of Ibadan Information Handbook spells the penalty For defacing the university building. According to the rule, defaulters are to be awarded “rustication for one semester and the repair of the damage done”. For littering, “reprimand, rustication for one semester to expulsion depending on the gravity of the offense” was the penalty stated. Despite the existence of this rule, the defaulters often go scot-free.

They paste their faces alongside the mantra “Lagbaja is coming” While Some may argue that no political agenda or position was attached, the political intent is however crystal clear. It is not just an innocent picture of a random student with a mantra, it is a calculated move to boost popularity and ultimately, secure victory in the upcoming elections.

One might expect the student leaders in our halls of residence and or faculties to at least take a stand against the prevalent spread of campaign posters turning our hostels and learning environments into advertising boards, but instead, they are indifferent. The walls could crumble under the weight of A4 and A3 posters and still, the concerned student leaders, who should set a striking example, often fail to see this as an issue worth addressing. Perhaps they’re too busy preparing their own faces for the walls of tomorrow.

The obsession with power among student aspirants is deeply concerning. They employ various tactics to win students’ support, relentlessly canvassing for votes. For reasons that remain unclear, holding office at the University of Ibadan is treated by some students as a do-or-die affair. Yet, once elected, the lofty promises outlined in their manifestos quickly fade and turn to failed promises. It is a clear tragedy that the desire to attain power far outweighs the genuine intention to use it responsibly for the betterment of the student community. It is akin to studying diligently for a degree only to abandon it after graduation.

If politics is a reflection of society, then what does this say about our budding politicians, especially the 200-level aspirants? Perhaps they arrive excited, and eager to change the world. Then, within a semester, they have learnt the cunning political tradition: print your face, paste it on the wall, accost and spam fellow students with unsolicited WhatsApp broadcasts. Instead of being groomed in noble values like integrity, transparency, and service, they are oriented into the traditional way of premature canvassing, without the knowledge such conduct is against the regulations of the University.

Another troubling consequence of this trend is the undue advantage it creates. Plastering faces and slogans across campus long before the official campaign begins gives certain aspirants an unfair head start. By the time the campaign window opens, their names and mottos are already ingrained in students’ minds, making it difficult for others who follow the due process to compete on equal footing.

A first-year student, unfamiliar with the dynamics of campus politics, may cast their vote simply based on whose face seems more familiar, not on merit or competence. Meanwhile, aspirants who chose to respect the rules and wait for the official campaign period are left at a disadvantage. In this system, discipline is punished while rule-breaking is rewarded.

Most likely, the heart of the issue is that students are oblivious of the constitution that governs them. Every hall, department and faculty operates under a constitution that outlines what is permitted and prohibited. This ignorance however allows power-hungry aspirants to violate the very rules they are meant to uphold.

It is high time every constituency took the responsibility of orientating its members about their constitution. Let it be discussed at hall meetings. Let freshers’ orientation include education on the contents of the constitution; what is allowed and what is probibited. What constitutes a finable offence and what doesn’t. Let the rules be displayed on notice boards instead of just aspirants’ faces.

Until then, these electoral rules will continue to be broken and ascension to students’ political offices will continue to be determined by those whose faces have gained visibility under the parameter of constitutional default. How long shall we continue to live in a campus where the walls know politicians better than the students do, where concerned stakeholders play blind to illegality, and where power is worshipped but never exercised judiciously? It is therefore important that these defaulters are sanctioned to put a halt to the barbaric precedent. It should also be a call for the next Students’ Union Electoral Commission (SUEC) and other student electoral bodies at various constituencies to curb the uncalled-for precedent by disqualifying the defaulters. Until then, the illegality persists.