lasuconscience
The Lagos State University is already in that period of the semester where group chats are flooded with messages from individuals vying for political offices. Suddenly, politicians appear more connected to the student populace, employing the usual strategy of canvassing for votes in a bid to occupy the revered arcade offices.
Interestingly, this political atmosphere has become more intense after the 37th LASUSU Independent Electoral Committee (The VOX Populi Team), under the leadership of its chairperson, Gabriel Theresa Oluwatobiloba, announced the lifting of the ban on all electoral activities on campus on Monday, May 4, 2026. Immediately, the restrictions placed on aspirants were removed, leading to a surge of “XYZ for LASUSU President” declarations, alongside numerous campaign graphics containing the photos of aspirants and the positions they seek to occupy.
However, amid all of this, only a few students are truly aware of the process involved in selecting the LASUSU-IEC, or even understand the concept and significance of the transition sitting. As stated earlier, this is not entirely the fault of many students, because the individuals saddled with the responsibility of steering the ship of politics in LASU often appear to be mere tools in the hands of certain structures or political citadels. As such, little should be expected. We therefore urge all LASUites to pay close attention as LASU Conscience unravels the intricacies surrounding the LASUSU-IEC process and the motives behind the transition sitting.
WHAT DOES THE TRANSITION SITTING ENCOMPASS?
Let us take it gradually. A political transition sitting simply refers to the structured transfer of power from an outgoing administration to an incoming one. Bringing it closer home, in Lagos State University Students’ Union, the transition sitting is a critical legislative meeting organised by the current Students’ Parliamentary Council (SPC) to pave the way for the transfer of power from the outgoing student administration to a new one.
It involves formal parliamentary procedures that result in the appointment of electoral bodies such as the Independent Electoral Committee (IEC), the Independent Petition Committee (IPC), and the Independent Audit Committee (IAC), all of which are expected to oversee a free and fair election for the incoming administration.
But in LASU, there appears to be a different story entirely. Just as a football team may possess many talented players, it is still the coach who decides who steps onto the pitch. As the saying goes, “he who pays the piper dictates the tune.”
In Lagos State University, the transition sitting seems far removed from the ideal and formal process of appointing truly independent representatives who are expected to oversee electoral activities impartially and ensure the emergence of capable, responsible, and resourceful individuals committed to service and genuine representation of the student populace. Instead, the appointment of these bodies now raises several questions. This brings us to an important question: how exactly is the IEC appointed?
The Lagos State University Students’ Parliamentary Council consists of 10 honourable members, each from a Faculty. These 10 honourable members represent their faculty at the LASUSU level. These representatives make up the legislative arm of the union and are responsible for lawmaking, oversight functions, and advocacy. Essentially, they serve as the voice of their respective faculties at the union level.
When it is time to appoint members of the LASUSU-IEC, each faculty is allocated three nominations. At this stage, potential candidates begin reaching out to influential structure leaders within their faculties in a bid to secure endorsement and eligibility for nomination into the LASUSU-IEC team. These structure leaders are usually about four or five individuals within each faculty. They then deliberate and decide on the most loyal and “suitable” individuals to make the final list. Afterwards, three names are agreed upon, with one person nominating them while others second the nominations.
Behind the scenes, however, many of these candidates reportedly go the extra mile to lobby their way into the good books of these supposed leaders of the citadel. Consequently, these leaders push their preferred candidates for consideration and nomination.
As all nominations are collated, intense lobbying reportedly takes place among the influential figures within the political structures of various faculties, especially in the days leading up to the transition sitting where members of the IEC are officially nominated and announced.
More interestingly, there appears to be a recurring pattern regarding the positions of IEC chairperson and secretary. Since the administration of Rt. Hon. Adedeji Adeniyi Akinkunmi ( the 35th LASUSU Speaker), who emerged from the Faculty of Arts, the 36th IEC chairman, Kehinde Nurudeen Babatunde, also came from the same faculty.
A look at the 36th administration reveals a similar pattern. The current Speaker, R t. Hon. Ogunbiyi Akorede Joshua, is from the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), while the newly appointed 37th LASUSU-IEC chairperson and the first female chairperson of the committee, Gabriel Theresa Oluwatobiloba, also hails from the same faculty.
In recent times, LASUSU administrations appear to have been heavily influenced and controlled by certain political structures, and this influence extends beyond the union level to faculties and even departments. Whatever is decided within these political “citadels” often becomes binding on everyone else.
This therefore raises a critical question: what truly is Aluta? Are members of the students’ union still genuine representatives of the people, or have they become puppets in the hands of political “leaders?”
At this juncture, we leave LASUites to ask one pressing question:
What truly happened on April 24, 2026, at the Hallowed chamber?
Aramide Okunboh, Correspondent, LASU Conscience
