The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Transparency in Governance has called on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi, to apologise and retract his comments over the alleged killings in Auchi Polytechnic which turned out to be false.
The groups led by the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative on Friday in Abuja, noted that the disturbing trending video and subsequent media reports of violence during the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election in the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State has been found to be absolute falsehood
The convener, Danesi Momoh Prince
and co-convener, Igwe Ude-umanta, noted that Peter Obi’s intervention carried out without verifying the narrative, had “poured petroleum into an already raging fire lit by fiction and falsehood.”
He said: “Mr. Peter Obi’s irresponsible intervention heightened anxiety amongst parents, guardians and the public who felt that the students are facing grave danger or dire security challenge. This unnecessary aggravation put more pressure on the school and Auchi town due to overstretched anxiety.
“Though we are aware of Mr. Obi’s political attention seeking schemes, which are within his rights; we are sore worried about why he will post an unverified news, even when he can easily access institutions that can give him the correct information. For a man who always charged us to go and verify, this is distasteful, because we have now verified and the result is the very opposite of what Mr. Obi posted. Yes, Obi lied; indeed he lied hard!
“We hope that he will have the humility to apologise and retract his statement. One does not understand why a man of Mr. Peter Obi’s public and political standing could jump on a bandwagon and totally de-market and smear a thriving institution like Auchi Poly.”
The group commended the few media who exhibited circumspection and professionalism by waiting for official reports before broadcast or reportage.
“Their professionalism have been helpful in dousing the tension and encouraging the civil society to find the truth about the incident.
“The school has already released an official statement concerning the facts of the incident. So, we will not belabour the issues since the statement is fact-backed. They have also began investigation to find out the internal forces that sabotaged security in the school. We urge them to be swift, firm and transparent.
“But just to set the records straight, in the conduct of the SUG Election, the School Internal Security, Nigerian Police, Department of State Services, National Security and Civil Defence Corp and local vigilante were adequately mobilised to ensure security and hitch-free election. The security reports and report of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) who are officially accredited observers confirm that it was not a question of lack of security or management negligence, but clearly the work of fifth columnists who had concealed ulterior motives.
“This sabotage led to allowing access to some members of the local community into the school to disrupt the election when their preferred candidate was clearly losing. These locals carried knives to scare students.
“This is contrary to the false report that they were shooting at students. It was the Mobile Police Force that reportedly shot tear gas to disperse them. In the ensuing confusions, students were running and creaming. One student who is an asthma patient fainted. But she immediately regained consciousness at the School Clinic, and was observed in a matter of few hours before being allowed to go home. We challenge anybody with a contrary claim to provide the identity(ies) of any dead student from the sad incident.
“As persons who were involved at various levels of the student movement in Nigeria, and had under the civil society banner worked extensively with institutions of learning.
The group recommended that the SUG election be suspended forthwith, till all the surrounding and emerging issues are sorted, an interim arrangement should be put in place for a very brief period for students- management engagements, since nature abhors vacuum.
“The report of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) who were on ground and saw things for themselves should be carefully considered and implemented. These include: meting adequate sanctions and prosecution of culprits and their collaborators.
“Consideration of electronic voting system in the future, especially in line with the innovations and excellence being vigorously pursued by the present leadership of Auchi Poly.
“Convening an internal stakeholders meeting to address all matters and concerns arising from the ugly incident.
“It is important that the management of Auchi Poly addresses this matter to a logical conclusion, including calling out those (whether individuals or groups) who smeared the growing reputation of the school. But in doing so, it must act decisively and transparently in addressing the matter so that Nigerians will be satisfied that all is and has always been well in the institution,” the group added.
