A factional president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has accused Presidebt Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s son, Seyi, of interference in the affairs of the association.
NANS President Atiku Abubakar Isah, who claimed to have emerged as the association’s leader during its national convention held on February 27, alleged that Seyi disrupted the association’s inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday in Abuja and threatened to kill him.
He alleged that Seyi arrived the hotel used as the venue of the inauguration with a large number of security men and ordered them to stop the event.
“Seyi has just ordered for me to be assassinated after the plea to buy me with money failed,” Isah alleged.
“The management of the hotel informed me about the interference, but I decided to go ahead with the inauguration. Immediately after we were inaugurated and Senator (Ibrahim) Shekarau began his speech, Seyi’s thugs entered the hall wielding guns and cutlasses. They stopped the senator, began stabbing people and chased others away, snatching phones and valuables in the process
“Before the day of the inauguration, Seyi had asked the Senior Special Assistant on Students and Youth Affairs to lure me into silence with money. I was told he was ready to offer me a hundred million naira. My refusal to accept the bribe led to the attack yesterday (Tuesday).
“When Seyi’s thugs, led by one Ladoja, came in with machetes and guns, they beat people and injured many. Nigerians should beg Seyi to spare my life.”
“They attacked Senator Shekarau, the former Minister of Education, and also Captain Idris Wada, the former governor of Kogi State. Fortunately, both of them were whisked away by their security details. I, however, was taken to an unknown location after being beaten and injured,” Isah alleged.
‘Seyi meddling in NANS’ affairs’
A former NANS Senate President, Henry Okunomo, also accused Seyi of using his influence to intimidate individuals within NANS and weaken the association’s independence and focus.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Okunomo said Seyi’s involvement had made NANS “porous” and diverted its focus from advocating students’ welfare.
“In fact, let me say, the organisation is almost losing it because these people have programmed the organisation in the sense that if you do not have government backing, I’m afraid you might not be able to become anything in the organisation. I am afraid we might not become anything useful in the organisation except for a few who have the association at heart.
“With the involvement of the president’s son for the past one year, he has done everything to make sure that the organisation is porous. What he stands to gain, I don’t know. What he wants to achieve, I don’t know. But the question I want the general public to ask him is, what is his interest in NANS?
“What is his interest in NANS? He wasn’t a stakeholder, he didn’t serve. The only thing that qualifies you is if you have served and are a student in Nigeria. If you don’t meet these criteria, you can’t call yourself a stakeholder,” Okunomo stated.
President’s son dismisses allegations
Reacting to the allegations via Instagram, Seyi dismissed them as baseless and defamatory.
He wrote: “Enough is enough with these fake stories and defamation of my character.”
But, reacting to the allegations on Tuesday via his official Instagram handle, Seyi Tinubu dismissed them as entirely baseless and defamatory.
He wrote: “Enough is enough with these fake stories and defamation of my character.”
NANS spokesman dismisses allegations against Seyi
NANS National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, in a statement on Wednesday, dismissed the allegations that the association had been hijacked by politicians, including Seyi Tinubu.
Ajasa said: “Mr Henry Okunomu has never held the position of Senate President within our association.
“It is deeply concerning that media platforms we consider reputable would grant their platform to individuals peddling falsehoods and seeking to tarnish the image of a formidable organisation like NANS.
“Aspiring leaders undergo a thorough process that includes obtaining forms, comprehensive screening, and other crucial steps well in advance of our conventions. The suggestion that financial resources can bypass our established protocols and constitutional requirements is not only false but also deeply insulting.
On the leadership tussle, he said: “We want to clearly state that Mr Abubakr is in no way the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students. The legitimate and duly elected President of NANS, representing the Nigerian student populace, is Comrade Olushola Oladoja.
“NANS is never an arm of any political party, government or politician. This is reflected in the various positions we have taken over unfavourable policies that affect the interests of our members — Nigerian students — irrespective of whose ox is gored.
“Let it be unequivocally stated that NANS will not tolerate anyone, under whatever guise, using the name of the association as a tool of blackmail or political manipulation,” he said.
I am NANS president, not Isah, says Oladoja
Olusola Oladoja said he was the dually elected president NANS.
“Isah is a self-acclaimed president because he neither bought a form to contest, came for screening for the position, nor was present at Eagle Square during the election, only for us, about two days ago, to hear of someone going to Arise TV and Sahara reporters claiming to be the president.
“For me, I used to tell people, there’s no faction in NANS, ask the guy to go to his campus and he is giving an excuse of people going after him, as a genuine president no one can stop me from going to any campus.
“Defamation of character is involved, I think I will take a legal action against him because I am seeing from all indications that he is being used by some politicians to disorganize the association for us and some of us will not allow that because Nigerian students already gave me their mandate,” he said.
I wasn’t attacked at NANS’ event-Shekarau
In a chat with Daily Trust, Sule Yau Sule, spokesman of former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, denied that his principal was attacked at the NANS’ event.
“I was with His Excellency (Senator Shekarau), there were also Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu, the Emir of Kazaure and other personalities.
“The truth was that the problem was within NANS and had nothing to do with Mallam Shekarau who was there on the invitation of one the contenders due to his link with the MSSN (Muslim Students Society of Nigeria).
“When the event was on, some persons from the other faction of NANS came in and even their target ran for cover to Mallam (Shekarau) for protection, but the people still dragged him out and beat him,” Sule said.
On the alleged presence of Seyi Tinubu at the event on Tuesday, Sule said the president’s son was not at the venue of the event and had even reached out to Shekarau denying any involvement in the fracas.
(Daily trust)
