Deborah Olabode

It is that time of the session again when “vote for” flyers are littered all around the campus. You can hardly go a day without seeing at least one, no matter how absentminded you might be. Various student positions at the University of Ibadan are up for election, as each tenure is nearing its end. Positions in halls of residence, faculties, departments, and some student organizations are up for grabs. The second semester has traditionally been the time for elections, and as always, campaigns are just as important as the elections themselves.

Running for office without campaigning is like going to the river with a basket. It is a futile effort. A candidate’s chances are wasted if they do not engage with the students. Once competition heats up, they may find it difficult to convince voters. That is why contestants use this time to increase supporters. It is almost impossible for a candidate to campaign alone; they rely heavily on student supporters. These supporters create and circulate flyers among their friends, and these flyers spread further through WhatsApp statuses and groups. Emmanuella, for example, said, “I post them on my status and in groups. Hmm, not so frequently, but this past week I posted about twice.”

These students become supporters because they are coursemates, level mates, faculty mates, hostel mates, and sometimes even friends or family. When Makinwa, a sophomore student, was asked about his relationship with the candidate he supports, he answered, “I choose to support her because she is like family to me. She was so nice to me when I was a freshman. She helped me with things I needed at that time. I remember one day, I was frustrated and tired because of all the classes and registration. It felt like she was God-sent. She took me to Tedder to buy food, and that is where I shared my feelings with her. She gave me some tips on how to survive, and I still use those tips today.”

Emmanuella had a different response. She said, “Not at all. I’ve guy just seen their work and know they would be capable. Some of those I know are currently in leadership positions, and they are handling them well. I also know of some who are running empowerment programs for the benefit of all.” Emmanuella’s support is based on her trust in the candidates’ past and current work, as well as her instincts.

On the other hand, some students remain indifferent, even during such a charged season. “I am not campaigning for anyone. Like I said, I am being politically neutral this semester, so I can’t help for real,” said Nwigwe Peter, a law student. This group of students who may have negative views of politics, prefer to focus solely on their studies, or simply choose to remain uninvolved.

Peter explained, “I feel like everyone just has this sense of loyalty or obligation to candidates or an inner admiration for them. That’s what inspires their active sharing of flyers, to publicize the intentions of their preferred candidate. Some might just do it because they feel it’s a normal thing to do, not out of a genuine desire to help the candidate.”

When Peter was asked if the flyers disturbed him in any way, he responded, “You do not have to be angry just because some people are sharing flyers online. Life isn’t hard like that. It’s just something you take as a natural phenomenon.” Essentially, he is fine with the entire process of sharing flyers, even though he chose not to support anyone.

Ore, a first-year student from the Faculty of Education, had a different perspective. “Someone will just be deleting and deleting. And the thing is, it’s the same pictures you will be seeing in different groups. It is disturbing someone’s phone! Not to mention the ones that will litter the floors.” 

As seen from the experiences of Emmanuella and Makinwa, in contrast to those of Peter and Ore, the campaign season reveals a wide range of perspectives.