……..One of the Alumni Association Presidential candidates
-members accuses electoral committee of compromise, undermining association’s constitution
By Dennis Mernyi
The prolonged crises that has bedeviled the University of Abuja Alumni Association’s elections has continued unabated with some members and stakeholders alleging undue external interference, undermining the constitution of the Alumni and compromise of the electoral processes.
Other issues of concerns raised against the electoral committee among others includes, lack of adequate preparedness, lack of proper information about the election guidelines as well as the introduction of an alien system called hybrid voting method which, has been declared as a clear evidence of plans to perpetrate electoral fraud.
Recalled that the University of Abuja Alumni Association elections was due to hold on the 30th August 2024 was shifted to 7th Sept 2024 and finally suspended indefinitely through a memo by the Acting Vice Chancellor citing security reasons.
In a letter of protest by Dr Ali Jude Igyo, an alumnus of the University of Abuja, member University of Abuja Alumni Association and Presidential Aspirant on 28th November 2024 to the Board of Trustee, University of Abuja Alumni Association called for immediate reorganization and verification of the alumni register through
collaboration with the university registry to provide true certified list of graduates from inception to date as this will ensure only verified members are eligible to participate.
The letter also copied Chairman caretaker Committee, University of Abuja Alumni Electoral Committee (ELCOM) and the University of Abuja Alumni Community also requested for the end of all forms of external interference from external entities/parties that are not constitutionally
authorized to partake the our electioneering process ad ensure establishment of clear and detailed electoral guidelines in line with the constitution
to be communicated to all members in a timely manner.
Dr Ali Jude also called for the enforcement of the association’s constitution to ensure a fair, credible, and
transparent election process.
The letter reads in parts, “I write to formally express my discontentment with the conduct and the activities of the University of Abuja Alumni Association Electoral Committee (ELCOM). The situation surrounding the committee’s preparedness and handling of the upcoming alumni elections has raised serious concerns for me as an aspirant and among members as it appears to lack transparency, order, and adherence to due process”.
“The following are areas that have informed my concerns, inadequate preparedness and shabby Alumni voter register.
It has become evident that the Electoral Committee is not prepared for this election. The alumni register, a crucial document for credible elections, remains poorly prepared and insufficiently vetted by the electoral, which raises questions about the accuracy of eligible voters and the integrity of the electoral process.
“Alumni members expect that the register reflects only and all verified and bonafide alumni, yet the current state suggests otherwise.
“More worrisome is that an election that was due to hold on the 30th August 2024 was shifted to 7th Sept 2024 and finally suspended indefinitely through a memo by the Acting Vice Chancellor citing security reasons, the electoral committee could not take advantage of these windows to fully put their house in place for the elections.
“As a matter of fact if elections were to be conducted on the earlier slated dates what data base or voter register were they going to use. “Lets not forget this electrical committee was inaugurated over two years ago. It is now expedient for the electoral committee to inform us of the source of this voter register circulated for our vetting.
According to him, he however, do not seek “nothing less than a fair, impartial and constitutionally compliant election process that will maintain the integrity of our Association”.
The present ELCOM as constituted can not guarantee a credible election.
Let’s call for a Congress