Taoheed A. Adegbite reports
As it is just days left for students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto to move to the poll and elect new set of leaders to the helms of affairs of students’ union. Faruk Barade; a 400-level student of Law and one of the presidential aspirants in the forthcoming 2019 Student’s Union elections has accused the outgoing students’ union, under the leadership of Ibrahim Shehu Kalgo, of campaigning for his opponent. He made this accusation on Friday while speaking with THE NEWS DIGEST at his resident, in the hostel.
Meanwhile, last week he distributed some items ; Hand-fans, Cups and Buckets, with the name ‘Barade’ inscribed on them to the students throughout each rooms of the student’s halls residence. As result, this action has received a mixed reactions from students on campus, leaving many questions unanswered.
He clarified that the present Student’s Union has for a long time, started campaigning for his opponent, even while the ban was still not lifted – knowing fully well that his opponent would soon be contesting for the office of the president.
He said: “Since I inculcated the ambition of watching out as SU presidential aspirant, I notice that the present SU ( I will not hide anything) are campaigning for my opponent, indirectly. Do you know why I say this?” he asked rhetorically, the pitch of his voice rhymed the slight change in his facial gesture.
He continued: “Because even if SU buys ordinary Biro for the benefit and from the treasury of the students, they write office of the welfare director: A. A Funtua on it. And they know that A. A Funtua is going to contest. Right from the time I gained admission into this university, what I know was that any projects executed by the Student’s Union, all they did write on it was SU 2017 or whatever year. We have never witnessed office of so …so..so…, written on project until this time,” added Barade.
To substantiate his accusations, he noted some of the projects executed by the outgoing administration, which he explained further as a proactive way of campaigning for his opponent asserting that most of those projects are done through his office as the welfare director.
“In as much as the Student’s Union would provide water tanks in the hostel, with office of the welfare director written on it. They built toilet, also written on it is the office of the welfare director; A.A Funtua. They started this, and I cannot continue to fold my arm watching what is detrimental to my victory.
Even the interlock done on our walkway, office of the welfare director is written there. The ambulance they bought, it was when the SRA criticised that they changed the office of the welfare director on it. Is it proper to put his name on every projects they did? To me that one is bias and I must admit it – they have not done justice to me at all,” he asserted.
He however, challenge the leadership of the student’s union to explain their position and come out with proofs if at all, there had been in existence – whereby any of their predecessors executed projects with any office inscribed on it, noting that it’s the responsibility of the present union to see that any act of voters inducement on campus is curtailed – rather than embarking on action which he described ”quite unjust”.
“The reason why I accuse the present Student’s Union is that it’s their duty to see this is curtailed. We have not witnessed this before. I challenge them and I repeat to challenge if there is any projects done by past Students Union with any office written on it, they should please bring it for me.
“If they really need to do justice for Barade, they would have continued from where they met it from their predecessor because those people did not put any office on their projects,” he expressed.