Ogun Polls: Students’ interest set agenda for candidates

By Kehinde Ogunyale

Ogun Polls: Students’ interest set agenda for candidates – Just as the gubernatorial elections draws near, the battle for Ogun state governorship seat has been intensified, as top leading candidate in the race are beginning to shift focus unto the students’ needs and educational sector at large.

It has been presumed that the students as well as civil servant would majorly be the deciding factor on who would successfully win the governorship seat for March 9 elections.

After conscious observation from recent campaign, students have been seen to be involved in major rallies and movement within the state thereby projecting their desired candidate in good light.

This move is strategically staged to sustain and push more students to vote for a particular candidate, as it is hoped that he would fulfill the student mandate and create an agenda that favours the students’ interest.

In view of this, influential students and leaders of student-association have been adopted to head units such as campaign strategist for their respective institution with the intent to appeal to their fellow mates. There is also a supposed allegation that most candidates go through length of distributing money to them.

For Ogun state, these could not be less true as some institutions are faced with major challenges ranging from nonpayment of allowances, deduction and gratuities, poor infrastructural development, inadequate staff and management crises.

All these unsolved crisis would magnify into measures like protest and strike actions which in turn would affect and extend the semester/session.

To this end, students have aligned with the major candidates: Adekunle Akinlade (APM), Gboyega Isiaka (ADC), Buruji Kashamu (PDP) and Dapo Abiodun (APC) ,  to push support for a students’ interest agenda.

But it is still uncertain which candidate would be most favourable as there is no consensus agreement within the student body.