Navigating Twists: The Rollercoaster Ride to CBN LT Elections 2023

After much anticipation, the CBN lecture theatre elections will finally take place on Thursday, November 9th, at the CBN car park. The lecture theatre is a crucial link connecting all first-year science students at the University of Ibadan through joint lectures held throughout the year. As it houses a large community, it requires strong leadership and organisation provided by the CBN executive council and governors. Therefore, it is essential to have a democratic system in place, which is why the annual elections are highly anticipated.

The CBN Executive Council elections have long been one of the hallmarks of student governance in the student union. However, the path to the upcoming 2023 elections has had its share of twists and turns. Being a revered tradition, it was to the shock of some preparing candidates and the CBN student population to have had the contesting rights of candidates taken away. That was, however, only the aftermath of the previous year’s events: the ban of the elections.

The CBN elections had been banned during the previous year by Professor Bakare, the then Dean of the Faculty of Science, as the CBN lecture theatre was under his faculty. Many, however, were surprised at this since the CBN elections weren’t a new tradition. The year passed without elections, and as a result, there was no governance at the CBN lecture theatre. Some might have thought that this would have no significant effect, as they believed that the council members only held titles without doing any actual work. However, this was not the case, and it can be reasoned that large efforts wouldn’t be put into such a thing without a reason. Apart from the maintenance of the theatre and management of events that typically occur there, a significant disruption was that of the annual CBN football cup matches. The matches, played by science students, had been anticipated for the past year but could no longer be held as the CBN sports secretary usually directs them.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) of the Faculty of Science Students’ Association (FASSA) stepped in to mediate. They appealed to the Dean, and the ban was finally lifted, allowing the 2023 elections to take place. Confusion arose, however, when, in preparation for this year’s elections, the SRC threw in a catch: only FASSA students could contest for specific positions while all CBNites could contest for the governorship. This felt unfair to many, especially those who had been preparing to contest. They believed that all who paid dues as students using the lecture should equally be given the right to vote or be voted for.

The decision was opposed by executive bodies from other departments as well as the Dean himself, and hence it wasn’t implemented. However, it could be said that the timing of the reversed decision affected the number of non-FASSAites who are currently contesting; some students had to withdraw when they thought they didn’t have a chance to contest prior to the intervention of the Dean and other student bodies. While the restrictions held, only FASSAites prepared for the elections, and only a small number of non-FASSAITES could join back in the race after they were permitted to.

Despite the controversy surrounding the elections, candidates from different faculties, such as Sunday Shittu, also known as Brainz from Veterinary Medicine, are still vying for positions with spirited campaigns and manifestos. The CBN election screening was held with promising results, and Oladoje Ayomide garnered a massive 92.5%, followed by others like Oladokun Emmanuel and Oladepo Peter with 86% and 59.5%, respectively.

As Thursday arrives, excitement grows among the CBN LT community. On D-day, all CBNites are expected to come out en masse to vote for their preferred candidates. The candidates have worked hard to present their manifestos and ideas to the community.

As everyone looks forward to seeing the new set of leaders, they also look forward to seeing how the recent events will shape the future of the council.

– Eze Arinzechukwu Evans and Khidir Rodiyyah