The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has disclosed that its members neglected electoral processes after the 2015 general election due to the rigging of elections perpetrated by politicians in the country.
ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke disclosed this at the 2024 ASUU State of the Nation Conference in Abuja on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
While explaining that any of its members who were presiding over elections were doing so on individual capacities, Osodeke alleged that politicians bring figures from the polling units and give to the presiding officer to announce.
He however maintained that rigging of elections in Nigeria would be totally eliminated if ASUU members were involved in the entire electoral processes starting from the ward levels to local governments and to the national.
Osodeke said: “ASUU was asked to help conduct the election. That first election went well, though there were still issues. When the elections were over, we called for a meeting and put up a committee together to study what happened.
“By the time they finished, they came with a report that even though our colleagues are involved in the election, rigging is done at the polling booths and local government collation centres.
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“What our colleagues do is just collate what they have been given. They gave you a report, and you just write it down. So we found out that rigging is done there, and given to our members to collate.
“We went to INEC and asked that we participate from the polling unit up to the final stage and they refused. We wrote to them that ASUU, as a body, will not participate in any election.
“If you recall, before any election in this country, we will come out with a statement that we are not part of the election, but our members are Nigerians. They have their freedom, and they can go and do anything.”
The ASUU President also raised concerns over the increasing influence of foreigners and the elite during elections in the country, noting that the national conference was aimed at generating ideas that would assist in creating a governance system that caters for the interests of the masses.
“The present foreign-controlled governance system serves only the interests of a few predators, primitive accumulators, and foreign organisations. This needs to change. I believe that with the selected speakers and participants, we can generate outcomes that will rescue Nigeria from the stronghold of foreign intruders and imperialist exploiters,” Osodeke added.
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