With the 16th of January announcement by the SUEC (Student Union Electoral Commission) of the removal of the ban on electoral activities, the University of Ibadan has officially entered its campaign season. Once again, the campus is alive with political rigour. Students are seen to rally behind their preferred candidates, engaging themselves physically and online in election banter groups.
The political atmosphere at UI holds immense significance. Student leaders elected during this period play a crucial role in shaping policies that directly impact student’s academic experiences, welfare, and extracurricular activities. Given the recent increase in school fees and ongoing infrastructural challenges, we need strong representation now more than ever.
Inside Campaign Teams: How the Process Works
After a few days of observing campaign teams in UI, this writer determined that at the core of many campaigns in UI is a fairly organised team working tirelessly to secure victory for their candidate. These teams function like small political organisations, with each member contributing to the overall success of the campaign. In most cases, the teams have a person, aside from the candidate, who oversees the entire operation, ensuring that strategies are well-coordinated and goals are met; a campaign manager of sorts.
Every team member plays a role in spreading the campaign message, ensuring the candidate maintains visibility and relevance in the highly competitive student political space. According to Vincent, a campaign team member for a UI’ SU Vice Presidential aspirant, “A typical day involves planning meetings in the morning, strategising throughout the day, and visiting different parts of campus to interact with students and explain our candidate’s vision.“
These efforts are complemented by digital campaigns, where social media platforms like WhatsApp become battlegrounds for student attention. Candidates rely heavily on online engagement, using these social media platforms to spread their message. Vincent highlights the transformative impact of technology, stating, “Social media has been a game-changer for engaging students. We use it to spread our candidate’s message, address concerns, and counter any misinformation.” These teams create a strong digital presence to win over undecided voters through graphics, short videos, and well-crafted online posts.
This is corroborated by Salvadore, a member of two campaign teams; one, a UI’ SU PRO aspirant, and the other a Presidential aspirant — who explains that a typical day for him on the campaign trail involves reaching out to people online, creating content, flyers, and posting. “That’s what it has really been like so far, brainstorming, um, drafting our plans, and so on.”, he explains. Salvadore also speaks of the challenges that balancing academics and electioneering brings, citing low engagement and low participation as major challenges faced. “I think low participation has really been the major challenge that we faced and people not really liking complying with all those things,”, he states, citing ongoing exams as the reason for the current nonparticipation.
Running a campaign involves three challenges: funding, voter turnout, and limited time. Vincent illuminates these struggles, saying, “The biggest challenges include managing time efficiently, overcoming misinformation, and ensuring we reach a diverse audience.” His statement highlights the core struggles of these campaigns: balancing time between academics and election activities and the short time allocated for election activities.
Financial issues pose a significant challenge, as running a campaign requires money for several things. These teams need money to design and print flyers, posters, and banners, which are very important for visibility on the campus. Digital campaign materials, including high-quality graphics, short videos, and advertisements, also require financial investment, especially when outsourcing professional design services. Vincent sheds light on the financial struggles, saying, “Adapting to unexpected hurdles like limited resources or sudden controversies requires quick thinking and teamwork.”
Now, for these students actively involved in these campaign teams, the experience can be very demanding, which elicits wonder on why they even bother. Vincent explains his motivation for joining a campaign team, saying, “I was inspired by the candidate’s vision and commitment to meaningful change.” He further added alignment with the values of his preferred candidate, which has fueled his belief that his involvement in the campaign would truly allow him to make a positive impact. Similarly, Salvadore, involved in multiple campaign teams, shares, “For the presidential aspirant, he reached out to me, told me about his plans, and convinced me. For the PRO aspirant, I’d worked with him before in my hall.” For both, the drive stems from personal conviction and faith in their candidates’ potential to deliver tangible results.
When asked how they deal with criticism, the responses of the two suggested that it was a common thing faced by the candidates. Salvadore adopts a measured approach: “Most of the time, I just listen. If feedback is trivial, I ignore it. But if it’s serious, I report to the candidate and we adjust.” He often deflects baseless critiques by urging critics to adopt “a more objective perspective.” Vincent’s team, meanwhile, confronts criticism head-on: “We stay transparent, provide facts and highlight our candidate’s track record. Misinformation spreads fast, so we counter it faster.”
The Non-Participatory Uites: Why Are Some Students Disengaged?
For many students, disinterest in the elections is less a choice and more of a response to systemic disillusionment. Aisha* from the Faculty of the Social Sciences captures this sentiment bluntly: “Most people don’t care because they can’t notice how the SU helps. I’ve only seen them relay information during light issues; what else do they do?” Her words reflect a widespread perception that the Students’ Union operates reactively rather than proactively, addressing crises like hostel blackouts only when they boil over, rather than preventing them.
This perceived inefficacy fuels apathy, with many students viewing elections as a performative ritual disconnected from their daily struggles. “Why vote if nothing changes?” Aisha adds, echoing the frustration of peers who see the SU as a bureaucratic echo chamber rather than a vehicle for change. Like Aisha, many students believe that student leaders, despite their best intentions, do not wield enough power to enact real change.
For example, this outgoing session has been the largest evidence of the supposed limitations of the Union; from the 500% increase in school fees at the beginning of the session to the ongoing 91-day blackout at UCH. Despite the students’ vocal protests at both occurrences, the administration’s silence and inaction have demonstrated that in such dire times, students are limited to peacefully protesting against perceived injunctions and hoping for the best.
Vincent acknowledges this issue firsthand, stating, “Yes, I’ve noticed apathy. I deal with it by reminding people that their voices matter and that student leadership affects their daily lives.” His experience shows a wider frustration among campaigns as they try to engage uninterested electorates. Vincent’s experience on the campaign trail corroborates Aisha’s earlier complaints, stating, “Many feel their votes won’t make a difference due to a lack of trust in the system or disillusionment with candidates and political doings. Others are unaware of the importance of their vote, face logistical challenges, or feel unrepresented and alienated by the system.
Academic pressures further alienate students. Emmanuel*, an editor with a campus press organisation, highlights the clash between academics and elections: “We run an 11-week academic calendar, and election conversations didn’t start until the 10th week.” He added that the major stakeholders in elections—journalists, politicians, and electorates—are all students, making it difficult to balance everything.
And so now, the challenge lies in informing students about the elections and that their participation is worthwhile. Vincent says he tries to combat apathy by convincing electorates to address their various reasons. “I try to motivate them, emphasise the power of their voice, educate them on the value of voting, and address their concerns in a relatable way.” He said.
The Role of The Fourth Estate
The Press plays an important role in campus elections. We ensure transparency, provide balanced reporting, and hold candidates accountable. For Emmanuel, the most challenging part of covering the elections is his members having to balance the coming election coverage with the ongoing examinations. Nusiroh Shuaib, the Editor-in-chief of NUESA Press, agrees with him, complaining about the lack of time to investigate and find sources for articles. “Most UItes are very unwilling to talk, and they tend to change your narratives a lot of the time.” She said. She emphasised the duty of the press to cut through political spin. “They [student politicians] are always of the opinion that the loopholes in their leadership style should be covered because, like, they would always say, everyone works for the betterment of the faculty.”
Aside from time constraints, Olanshile Ogunrinu, the Editor-in-chief of AFAS Press, highlights the risks of factual reporting. He complained about some politicians viewing the press as PR machines for political opponents. “There is this need to ensure you have the facts to report because as little as the misrepresentation of facts is, they will not view it as a harmless mistake but a ploy to ‘demarket’ ahead of their opponents.” He also noted the difference between the perception of the Press in the past and now, stating that student politicians try to be friendlier with press men and women now. He, however, emphasized the need to maintain journalistic integrity regardless of this friendliness. Adding to this, Emmanuel spoke of the philosophy behind journalism and humanity when ensuring neutrality in his reportage “to have my eyes entirely on seeing the truth without prejudice and hiding said truth.” Nusiroh responded simply, stating that she believes with the “Power through the pen” motto of the NUESA Press, comes neutrality.
Recalling darker moments in his bid to uphold journalistic integrity, Olanshile reveals, “I’ve been summoned by Student Affairs and threatened by politicians for critical reporting.” before adding that such actions to interfere with press conduct and reportage do not deter him from the truth as his mantra. “If it’s the truth, I’ll write it, no matter what may come.”, he adds, emphasising that truthful reportage is the most important thing to him.
Beyond these challenges, the election season significantly shifts the workload and priorities of the Press. Emmanuel describes the workload increase thus, “We have to make sure that we stay on top of trends, conduct interviews, and work on investigations, all while dealing with personal schedules.”
For Nusiroh, the election season demands even more from the Press, as they serve as the bridge between candidates and students. “Part of the duty of the press is to inform the people, so this season demands our attention even more.” This sentiment is echoed by Olanshile, who explains, “The election season will definitely change the workload because, at that time, we want to ensure accountability by bringing up issues from the past administration while also trying to create a bridge between students and the candidates.” showing just how important it is to show the electorates who they are voting for.
Ultimately, as the elections approach, every student has a democratic responsibility. The choices made in these elections will determine your campus experience in the coming year. Your vote, your voice, and your diligence matter. Stay informed, engage in discussions, and most importantly, participate. The future of the union is in your hands; make it count.
*Names changed to protect the identity of respondents
Moboluwarin Ogunleye
