LAUTECH alumni: No new election took place in Oyo, says Chapter chairman

The crisis rocking the alumni association Oyo Chapter of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, took a dangerous dimension over the weekend as the chapter’s chairman, Folaranmi Olumide Awosika debunked news of new election on Sunday.

Recall that MOUTHPIECE NGR had earlier reported that the LAUTECH alumni Oyo state chapter at a meeting over the weekend elected Mr Ibrahim Taiwo as its new chairman and other executive members.

The reports followed a statement Mr Inaolaji Akinloye made available to this medium stating that the congress elected new leadership after a reconciliation meeting chaired by Mrs. Funmi Alli Kayode to unify two factions of the Oyo State LAUTECH alumni chapter.

The statement equally claimed that Taiwo defeated his opponent, Fola Awosika, who participated actively in the election. 

Reacting to the development on Tuesday, Mr Awosika who spoke to our correspondent said that no new election took place in Oyo alumni chapter, describing the reports as misleading and false.

Awosika claims that although there have been two factions of LAUTECH alumni operating independently for some time, but only the one he head has received recognition from the global executive.

According to him, several attempts to bring the two sides together have fallen short due to irreconcilable differences.

He said despite not trusting other group because of their history of desperation and constant desire to impose their will on others, he had to make room for reconciliation when Madam Funmi Alli and Madam Bola Adeola approached him in November 2023 during the Alumni global election, in which he was the recognised chairman representing Oyo chapter.

He stated that the two factions agreed to reconcile during the end of the year party in December by ensuring that his group produce the chairman while other groups gets the slot for secretary and treasurer for individual interest to be protected irrespective of who counter-signed the account.

Speaking further, “We agreed to nominate members that will fill each position from each group. I was nominated to continue as chairman by my group. A physical meeting was subsequently fixed for Saturday December 30th to ratify the nominees from both groups. The nominees from each group and the mediating team met and other issues bordering on the reconciliation were discussed and agreed upon. Dr. Oyewo, the global Fin sect and Mr. Muyiwa Oshindele Original who was around from Abuja were present at the meeting. Being the globally recognised chairman, I was instructed to invite the global executive to come and observe the January meeting where the nominated executive will be inaugurated.

“The global executive came for the meeting and everything went on as planned and the nominated executive were called out for swearing-in but unfortunately the process was stampeded by some members of the other faction who claimed that they were not properly carried along. While this commotion was going on, I kept calm hoping that things will calm down, but unfortunately things persisted until the meeting was postponed.

“The event of Sunday 24th March, 2024 was a continuation of the reconciliation process towards having a unified alumni in which in my capacity as the incumbent chapter chairman attended and used the opportunity to address the few members present who were mainly the factional members to embrace peace and support the agreement reached for the harmonization of the in-coming executive of the association.”

Awosika said he was shocked to read the news report that he participated actively in an election he had no idea about, stressing that their action is to validate their charade by his presence.

He quoted the Alumni constitution which is supreme on all valid alumni activities section 16, sub section (d), stating that chapter election shall be witnessed by at least two officials of the association.

While noting that no global officer were preset at the said election, he added that only financial members of the association can vote or be voted for in the contest for executive positions in the chapter elections as well as maintaining that Alumni executive election are conducted through the use of ballot paper.

He equally posited that the exercise is not in line with the mutual agreement of Dec 30th, stating that It’s quite unfortunate that he invested so much time and energy on the reconciliation, waiting to see a united alumni, little did he know that some people have a sinister motive against the process.

He added, “They must always show their desperation and cunning tendency. Many members blamed me for going that far with them having known their antecedents but I was blinded by my commitment to the reconciliation and my trust in the mediating ability of Madam Funmi. Although she did her best on Sunday to stop them but she was overwhelmed. She was even accused of being partial. She couldn’t have done much in the face of desperate desperados.

“Association is not by compulsion. It is by agreement. I regret to state that the reconciliation process has failed. I have briefed the global body and we have been instructed to pull out of the supposed joint Oyo Alumni.”

Meanwhile, a member of the alumni Global body who spoke to MOUTHPIECE NGR on the development, said that no representative of the Global body was at the said election let alone the VP South.

He added that there was no also any official communication to the Global secretariat describing the kangaroo election as sham.