AAU Students Vow To Sh¥t D0wn Edo Govt House Over DSS ‘Secret Letter’ Disqualifying Top Candidates In SUG Elections
AAU Students Vow To Shut Down Edo Govt House Over DSS ‘Secret Letter’ Disqualifying Top Candidates In SUG Elections
One of the disqualified presidential aspirants, Edugie Ikponmwosa Wisdom, described the process as irregular and lacking transparency.
Students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, have vowed to shut down the Edo State Government House on Wednesday morning in protest over alleged interference by the Department of State Services (DSS) in their Student Union Government (SUG) elections.
Tension has been rising across the university community following the sudden disqualification of leading candidates just 24 hours before the polls, despite earlier clearance by the institution’s electoral committee.
According to multiple sources within the academic community, the controversy is linked to a DSS officer identified as “Mr. Alex,” reportedly the student desk officer at the DSS office in Benin City, who is accused of being central to the dispute.
He is alleged to have sent a message to the Vice Chancellor calling for the disqualification of specific candidates based on directives purportedly linked to the state government.
The affected candidates include the two most popular presidential aspirants, Edugie Ikponmwosa Wisdom and Osariemen N. Emmanuel (Emmylight), as well as a candidate for the office of Director of Welfare, Airebamen John Edeakhe.
The allegations have further intensified concerns about political interference in campus affairs, especially as the affected candidates were initially cleared by the Student Union Government Electoral Commission (ELECOM) before their sudden disqualification.
One of the disqualified presidential aspirants, Edugie Ikponmwosa Wisdom, described the process as irregular and lacking transparency.
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“We went for DSS screening on April 15, and by April 23, a list was released showing that we had been cleared. I was number one on that list,” he said.
“After our manifestos on April 28, we were suddenly invited to an emergency meeting the next day, where I was told I had been disqualified. They said there was a ‘secret letter’ from DSS, but no reason was given.”
Wisdom added that both he and another presidential aspirant, along with a welfare candidate, were affected by the decision.
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“I have never been involved in any crime. I am not a cultist. There is no justification for my disqualification after I was cleared and had already presented my manifesto to students,” he said.
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A source in the school further alleged that certain university officials and political actors may have influenced the decision.
“The rumour I’m hearing is that the Vice Chancellor, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, and a Senior Special Assistant to the governor, Mubarak Jimah Sha-Ramadan, do not want us because they believe we are connected to their political enemies,” a source said.
Wisdom also alleged that days before his disqualification, he received a request from a government aide to pay for hotel accommodation, which he could not fulfil.
Another disqualified aspirant, Osariemen Nwaiku Emmanuel, popularly known as Emmylight, also questioned the process, describing it as a violation of due process.
“I successfully passed all screening stages conducted by ELECOM and was officially cleared to contest,” he said.
“But in a shocking twist, just one day before the election, I was informed at an emergency meeting that I had been disqualified based on a decision allegedly from DSS.”
He noted that he had not received any formal notification or explanation.
“Till this moment, I have not been given any letter, no allegation, no evidence, and no opportunity to defend myself,” he added.
“This raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and whether student voices are being deliberately silenced.”
Insiders suggest the targeted students are being suppressed because they previously spoke out against rising insecurity, kidnappings, and killings in Ekpoma. Their stance is reportedly being interpreted by state actors as political opposition.
They however, warned that the situation could escalate if not urgently addressed, especially given growing insecurity concerns in Ekpoma, which some of the affected candidates had previously spoken against.
The controversy has heightened tension across the campus, with many students viewing the development as an attempt to suppress dissent and manipulate the outcome of the election.
With preparations underway for the protest, pressure is mounting on authorities to provide clarity and ensure transparency, amid fears that the crisis could spiral into broader unrest if left unresolved.
When SaharaReporters contacted Otunba Mike Aladenika, AAU’s Principal Assistant Registrar and Head of Information, Public Relations, and Protocol, he confirmed that some students were actually disqualified after they were cleared, noting that it was normal.
He said: “On the issue of the conduct of SUG elections, it is a fact that potential candidates are, ideally, subjected to security and other related checks which may not be determined by the institution concerned.
“This case in hand may not be, in anyway, different from what is obtainable in our University. That a student aspired to contest does not imply he/she will pass the various checks.
“When the report came before the management, that some aspirants were disqualified, we had to suspend the entire process with a view to getting the issues straightened and creat an enabling environment for the election.
“It is however a cleared statute that relevant authorities reserve the right to screen and clear candidates for elections such as the SUG.”
