By Fawaz Balogun 

The Faculty of Law Literary and Debating Society has called for an urgent re-assessment of the semi-final Jaw War debate between the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Education.

This was disclosed in a petition addressed to the University of Ibadan Literary and Debating Society (TLDS) signed by the President, Law LND, Chika Akachukwu on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

“We strongly believe that the outcome of the round, including both the main debate and the impromptu segment, warrants an independent review,” the notice reads.

According to the LND society, the debate should not have resulted in a tie given adherence of their speakers to the rules of the competition.

It also cited concerns based on the mode of assessment used by the judges for the impromptu segment.

“We are particularly concerned about the impromptu segment. The round was announced by the judges as a one-minute debate, yet it appears to have been assessed as a one-minute oratory.

“Our speaker approached the exercise as a debate, presenting facts, advancing an argument, and directly rebutting the opposing position. On the other hand, the opposing speaker delivered an oratory-style speech. This difference in approach raises a major concern as to whether both speakers were assessed against the same criteria”

Demanding for a review, the Law Literary Debating Society has requested that the Dean of Student Affairs and the competition organizers review.

“We recognise that it is not our place to judge our own performance. For this reason, and in the interest of fairness and due process, we respectfully request that the Dean of Student Affairs and the competition organizers review the round and, where appropriate, arrange for an independent review.”

The society further stated that evidence is available for independent review.

“Our request is fully supported by evidence, as the competition was adequately captured on livestream which is available for public viewing” it added.