By ACJ UNIBEN
The School of Basic Medical Sciences Students Association (BAMSSA) has formally rejected the results of the recently concluded University of Benin Students’ Union elections, citing electoral malpractice, lack of transparency, and unexplained alterations to the voting timeline.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the UNIBEN Electoral Commission and copied to top university officials including the Vice Chancellor, Provost of the College of Medicine, and Dean of Students, BAMSSA condemned what it described as a “disheartening manipulation” of the election process, particularly in the presidential race.
The association claimed that its member and presidential candidate, Michaelson Oyakhire, was already leading after the initially announced one-hour voting window, which ran from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. According to the letter, several agents, ELECO representatives, and even university staff had observed this lead before the commission extended the voting time and introduced a new voting link — allegedly without any official reason or public announcement.
“After that hour, a member of our association, Michaelson Oyakhire, had clearly won the election… The Electoral Commission went ahead to extend voting time by another hour and created a fresh link… without any candid reason,” the letter stated.
BAMSSA alleged that the newly introduced link was only circulated among selected faculties, and their own members only became aware of it 40 minutes into the new voting phase. Despite the confusion, they continued to mobilise support. However, they expressed shock when Oyakhire’s opponent, Bright Paul, allegedly surged ahead in the final minutes with an unexplained addition of over 1,000 votes.
The letter also raised alarms over the conduct of the electoral commission during collation, stating that agents and observers were denied access to their phones and were reportedly coerced into signing the final results. BAMSSA claims that phones were even searched after collation to ensure no visual or digital evidence of the alleged irregularities existed.
“The whole process is questionable… agents not in agreement were coerced into signing the said results… their phones were still searched,” the statement continued.
BAMSSA is now demanding a thorough investigation into the election, a clear explanation for the unscheduled time extension, and for the results declared after the initial one-hour voting period to be upheld. Alternatively, the association has called for total annulment of the process.
“We are only left to wonder what the reason for the time extension could have been when the winner was already so clear… It is disheartening to see how low the electoral commission is willing to descend to favour one candidate over another,” the statement concluded.
The protest letter was signed by Comr. Wosiratu Mohammed, President of BAMSSA, and Rt. Hon. Tobechukwu Ahmed, Speaker of BAMSSA, and dated July 25, 2025.
As of the time of this report, the UNIBEN Electoral Commission has not issued a public response to the allegations raised by the Basic Medical Sciences student body.
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