Re: New Leadership Development in Awo Hall

Upon resumption to the 2023/2024 academic session, there was a change in the executive members of Obafemi Awolowo Hall where the Vice president elect in last session election was made the President while her opponent in the election was made the Vice President.

In the morning of 3rd September, 2024, Dr. Afolasade Adewumi, Obafemi Awolowo Hall warden sent the information below.

Good morning all.
This is to inform you that after giving the dean of students a report of how Yesira Sule, the President has been conducting herself in the hall that has led to a breakdown of maintaining the hall rules among the students aside her carrying out activities without recourse to me, the dean has approved her removal from office. She has been replaced with the postgraduate representative who initially was supposed to be hall President. That is Oluwaseyi Adelere.
You are all enjoined to cooperate with her to move the hall forward.
Thank you.
Dr Afolasade Adewumi
Hall Warden

The hall warden mentioned some anomalies during the election period last session. Information sent out to pick up and purchase election forms was not sent to the post-graduate WhatsApp group by the former president(of last session) until about two days to the deadline for the purchase of the forms which made the post-graduate students unprepared. Despite this, Miss Oluwaseyi Adelere purchased the form and attended the screening exercise carried out by the electoral committee and was disqualified because she didn’t attend the screening exercise prepared and was without a manifesto plan. Miss Oluwaseyi then approached the hall warden to appeal that the process was not fair to post-graduate students because the notice given them was sent in a short time and not in the required time frame which left all the posts the  post-graduate students were to contest for empty, with no candidate to fill them.

Instead of allowing the plea made my Miss Oluwaseyi of starting the electoral process all over, the hall warden realised that the post-graduate students were the minority in Awo hall and the proper thing was for the majority(the undergraduates) to rule while the minority should have a say. The post-graduate students were told to chose a representative since they were few. This observation was also discussed with the Dean of students who said that there should be a review of the constitution which was put in place when the hall was predominantly a post-graduate hall of residence.

The head of the electoral committee was informed by the hall warden to start the process of reviewing the constitution and up till now, nothing has been done concerning the review of the constitution. The body(Student members) to carry out the review of the constitutions have not given her any feedback, according to her. She also mentioned to give a feedback to the hall warden last Saturday, but nothing has been heard from her till now.

Before the issue of the review of the constitution, the election process went on and winners emerged. Due to the fact that there was no president, Dr. Afolasade Adewumi discussed the issue with the Dean of students and received permission to make the Vice President elect, Miss Yesira Sule the President and make her opponent in the election, Miss Tomiwa Shofolabo, the Vice President.

Dr. Afolasade Adewumi mentioned how the President appointed, Miss Yesira Sule has conducted herself in a manner that does not go well for peace and progress in  Obafemi Awolowo Hall and how Miss Yesira carried out her activities without recourse to her. The hall warden also stated how Miss Yesira has been rude to her and the senior hostel supervisor too, which leaves her no choice but to remove her and replace her with the post-graduate student, Miss Oluwaseyi, who was initially interested in the post of President last session and would have emerged President in the last election because she would have ran unopposed. The outcome of Miss Oluwaseyi becoming the President would have also happened if the electoral process was made to start from the beginning when it was alleged that the post-graduate students were not given adequate notice to participate in the electoral exercise.

The reasons for the removal of Miss Yesira from being the President are stated in the letter of removal which was sent to her.

Awoites  mentioned how the constitution says the Vice President should step in when President is removed but according to section 13 of the Awo constitution, which states that a post-graduate student is to be the president, the Vice President who is an undergraduate student cannot become the President in this situation since the constitution has not been reviewed, Dr. Afolasade Adewumi mentioned. Finally, Dr. Afolasade Adewumi said that according to Obafemi Awolowo Hall constitution, which has been failed to be reviewed as directed since last semester, the President is to be a post-graduate student which is now what has been made so.