OSPOLY SUG Election: ‘Our Votes Have Been Hijacked’ – Students Raise Alarm Over Alleged Manipulation Of E-Voting Portal
There was tension on Friday at the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, as students of the institution raised the alarm over alleged manipulation of the ongoing Students’ Union Government election through the electronic voting system.
In a video clip obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, a student was seen struggling to cast his vote but was blocked by a system prompt that read “multiple votes not allowed from a single device.”
The error suggested that the account had been previously used, fuelling suspicion among students that their portals had been accessed without authorisation.
Some undergraduates accused campus computer operators, popularly called cafe men, of hijacking their login details to vote for candidates against their will.
When contacted, the institution’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Tope Abiola, dismissed the allegations, describing the exercise as “seamless, peaceful, and first of its kind in Osun State.”
He argued that the challenges experienced by some students were due to their “laziness and failure” to reset their login details after registration, making their accounts vulnerable.
According to him, “the management of the institution does not have any interest in any candidate. Whoever wins is the candidate of the students. We are committed to a free and fair election.”
Abiola explained that the e-voting process was fortified with multiple security checks, including security questions, which, he said, some students failed to recollect, hence their inability to log in.
Reacting to the allegations, the Association of Campus Computer and Photocopier Operators (ACCPO OSPOLY) distanced its members from the electoral process.
In a statement issued on Friday, the group said, “Our portal operations were officially suspended by 12:00 a.m. today and will remain suspended until the conclusion of the election exercise. Any allegation linking ACCPO OSPOLY to manipulation is false, misleading and should be disregarded.”
The statement stressed that the electoral process remained the sole responsibility of the duly constituted committee of the institution and that its members would never compromise the integrity of the student community.
Friday’s election marked the first Students’ Union poll in OSPOLY since 2022/23, when Azeez Tajudeen emerged as president.
Anuoluwapo Lebi is an ethical and aplomb journalist, zealous for good and ethical journalism practices. His love for investigative journalism is divine and has carved his interest in other topics, including crime, politics, campus, culture, science, community development, and creative writing.
