Photo credit: Indy Press.

Ademola Rianat Ayomide

A good deed once in a while is suspicious, but when they do it repeatedly, we know they have ulterior motives. We know that politicians can be shady and selfish, but we least expect to find them among our fellow students. Yet, every year, we see the same spectacle: some candidates running for a post act like they are our friends, but they are really after their benefits. It stings when they suddenly become the most active and enthusiastic participants in an activity they have always ignored. Someone invisible in student welfare suddenly becomes a self-proclaimed hero. There is always a hidden agenda behind the mask, and eventually, their schemes will be exposed and the foetus of their agenda sooner or later, will be put to bed.

Let us talk about their political games, and the emotional manipulation they utilize before they reveal their true colours. It is the act we know of people vying for a position. They use various tricks to fool us into compliance, pretending to care about our problems, playing on our feelings, hiding their true plans, and making false promises. They smile and wave at us, but all these stop when they finally get the power. They are like actors who put on a show for the audience, but take off their masks when the curtain drops.

You might have seen their flyers on your WhatsApp group chat or people’s statuses. In the flyers, they always have a broad smile plastered on their faces, a reminder of where you have seen their faces when you meet them in person. It is by their smile you recognize them. They pretend to care about our exams and our school, using cheesy quotes that they twisted on words, such as GENerating Efficient SECretariat, PRESIding with ultimate interest, PRESIDing goal. These are their catchphrases. The tricks and the agenda behind them are well-known. However, they have come up with an innovation detesting from their leitmotif. They use mathematical formulas to disguise the position they want to run for, such as something divided by something equal to 001 or 002. It has become a reservoir of their intention while the ban still lingers. This is their way of dodging the ban and the constitution forbids any declaration of intention until the ban is lifted. These people have shown their cleverness by bending the constitution in their favour.

Lately, there has been a sudden change in the mood of each hostel. Different people grin at you and throw various greetings without waiting for your reply. Who are these smiling strangers? They are not the usual crowd from AWO 101 or IDIA 101. Their identity is revealed by their gathering into groups. They are some of the candidates running for student union offices, departmental offices, or faculty posts, and they are ready to lure people with their dazzling smiles and tempting promises. They are recognized by their endless greetings, hushed tone, or abrupt acts of kindness. Sometimes, you might wave back at them, thinking they are someone you know. The familiarising is their mask, their cover, their trick. Their only interest is your vote, not your welfare, as they act.

Last week, a shocking scenario unfolded. A guy vying for a position exposed his secret and announced that he wanted to run for a position. That was a clear breach of the constitution. The campaign ban was still hanging over their heads, and he was already making his move. When queried, he attempted to escape his mistake, saying that he did not declare his intention, he just expressed his desire. You wonder if the ban still in place has been relegated to just saying these three words: “I declared my intention…”. Is the effect only on you saying you have declared your intention? Not on the actions, the deceptive flyers, intruding people’s entrance to their hostel soliciting their audience are defying the constitution while fully aware of its doctrine. But isn’t the constitution at fault for using ambiguous words and not being clear enough, which allowed these corny campus politicians to bend its rules?

They use various tactics to lure the students’ attention. Some of them have already prepared their souvenirs. When you get a greeting from one of them, you know that it is a fake gesture, no sincerity. This makes you doubt their motives. Are they running for office to serve the students or themselves? What do their greetings conceal? You see them acting like activists, attending meetings here and there. There is always a hidden agenda behind their gifts – a Greek gift, so to say. Giving students giveaways or organizing tutorials is admirable. It is a noble and generous act. But doing it at a specific time and for a political purpose makes it dishonest. Printing and displaying your agenda behind it is a violation of the constitution.

According to the constitution, no candidate can declare their intention or campaign for any position until the electoral committee lifts the ban. This ensures a fair and transparent election process and prevents any undue influence or intimidation of the voters. However, some student politicians have bypassed this rule by using subtle and sneaky methods to promote themselves and their agenda. Their gimmicks are not hidden from us, nor is our awareness of them.