Students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, have raised allegations against the university administration, accusing it of manipulating the recently concluded Student Union Government (SUG) elections in favour of preferred candidates.
In interviews with PUNCH Metro on Monday and Tuesday, several students claimed the university deliberately compromised the integrity of the May 24, 2025 elections. They alleged that the process was rigged to ensure victory for candidates loyal to the institution’s management.
A student identified as Ajayi criticised the conduct of the election, citing procedural breaches. “There was clear favouritism and injustice. Voting was scheduled to run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., but didn’t start until 12:30 p.m. due to technical issues,” he said.
Ajayi further alleged that when their preferred presidential candidate took the lead, the election was arbitrarily extended. “At 5:00 p.m., they extended voting without explanation, and again from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Then the results page started showing ‘Error 504’. We even tried VPNs, but nothing worked,” he said.
Another student, Ola, echoed Ajayi’s concerns, accusing the ICT department and school authorities of collusion. He claimed changes were made to voting requirements mid-process. “Initially, OTPs were required to vote, but once it was clear our side was winning, they suddenly removed the OTP requirement,” Ola said, calling for a rerun and strict adherence to electoral guidelines.
A third student, Remi, alleged deliberate marginalisation of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences and manipulation of votes in the final moments. “This isn’t the first time management has interfered in SUG elections. They used technical glitches to delay voting, then extended the closing time without notice,” he stated.
Remi also described how the one-time password (OTP) system created confusion. “Many students didn’t receive OTPs. We visited the situation room in Ado-Ekiti, and the CSO insisted rules couldn’t be changed. But at 5:55 p.m., the OTP requirement was removed, the portal went down, and suddenly our candidate, Olaleye Temitope Oluwagbemiga, who had been leading, lost by 19 votes,” he said.
In response, the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Wasiu Oyedoku-Ali, dismissed the allegations as baseless. He acknowledged technical difficulties but maintained that all changes, including the removal of OTPs, were made in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
“These claims are far from the truth,” Oyedoku-Ali said. “For the first time in recent years, the acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olubunmi Shittu, ensured a transparent process. Extra safeguards were introduced, including oversight by the ASUU chairman and a monitoring team.”
He attributed the glitches to system overload caused by high simultaneous traffic and defended the decision to suspend OTPs as a security measure.
Despite official reassurances, many students remain sceptical and are demanding a rerun of the elections under stricter, more transparent guidelines.
