*UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR IN TURMOIL.*

*AS STUDENT'S UNION GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS IS MARRED BY IRREGULARITIES.*


*UNICAL SUG ELECTIONS ALLEGEDLY INTERRUPTED BY HACKERS AS THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ARE LEFT DISENFRANCHISED*

*CUECO RELEASE RESULTS OF AN INCONCLUSIVE ELECTION*

*SUG PRESIDENT, AFUFU ANTHONY LEADS STUDENTS AND DECLARED WINNER OF THE ELECTION TO INVADE THE MEDICAL STUDENTS' HOSTEL*

*SUG PRESIDENT AND SOME STUDENTS VANDALISE HOSTEL PROPERTIES*

*UNICAL SURVEILLANCE OPEN FIRE ON MEDICAL STUDENTS*

The University of Calabar had erupted into chaos as an aftermath of the 2018 *STUDENT'S UNION GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS* result was released despite irregularities.

The Election was scheduled to run from 10:00am to 2:00pm on the 24th of April 2017.

The election began in earnest by 10:00am as various candidates and their supporters were around campus to gather pins for the electoral voting, introduced in 2014.

Few minutes into the election, several electorates began to complain about difficulties in logging into the site (unicalevotes.com). Several screenshots of the voting experiences and difficulties faced were littered on social media. The Electoral Commission (CUECO) suspended the elections to 11:30am. Elections resumed and problems reportedly only increased. More complains flooded social media.

Few minutes to 1:00pm, the voting on the site was closed and electorates were unable to vote. Students waited patiently for the Calabar University Electoral Commission (CUECO), The Students' Affairs Division or any other management staff to inform the electorates on the reasons for the difficulty experienced and how to tackle it fairly. In a twist of fate, the celebrations began around school premises shortly before the results were released.

The students' community was divided into factions over the Presidential Elections, where three students competed keenly; *Enyam Kelvin (Faculty Of Management Sciences), Coco Bassey Esu (Faculty Of Medicine), Joseph Frank (Faculty Of Social Science).* The electoral provisions singled out medical students and demanded a compulsory deferment of one year academic session before any candidates from the Faculty Of Medicine would stand election; a demand met by *Coco Bassey Esu.*

The results of the election did not sit down well with majority of the students as the declared winner of the elections; *Enyam Kelvin* won by a little above *400 votes,* compared to about *16,000 Students* who received pins for the election after meeting a compulsory criterion of payment of school fees, not taking into account a number of others who had paid their fees but did not receive their pins.

Students from various parts of the University began a peaceful protest to reject the election results, seeking reasons as to why an election result would be released, when it was obvious that the electoral process had been a complete disaster.

*STUDENTS' UNION GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT, COMR. AFUFU ANTHONY STORMED THE MEDICAL STUDENTS HOSTEL (HALL 2) WITH THUGS.*

Shortly after the elections, residents of Hall 2 were greeted with shock as students led by *Comr. Afufu Anthony* and the declared winner of the presidential election ; *Comr. Eyam Kelvin*, in a rather violent and unruly manner attempted to break into the hostel, porters locked the hostel to secure the premises.

The SUG President, himself broke into the hostel premises, allowing his companion shatter glasses, throw bottles etc. The SUG President, Comr. Afufu Anthony was taken by Resident of hall 2 and kept safely in the common lounge for security reasons. According to some Residents, this was to serve as an evidence that the sitting president himself led invaders into the medical hostel to cause mayhem and destruction. Afufu Anthony himself broke the glasses of the common lounge hostel, while some residents of the hostel kept him in there, away from harm's reach. As other agitated residents chased out the rest of the intruders.

*INTIMIDATION OF RESIDENTS OF HALL 2 BY SURVEILLANCE UNIT.*

The Hall Government tried to reach the security unit to inform them about the crises in the hostel. The men of the surveillance arrived the premises shortly after. They demanded that the President be released, and attempted to force the doors open. Surveillance Unit open fire to scare Residents away, causing even more rage to the residents, who remained undeterred and unyielding. Residents of the hostel began chanting, with the intent of drawing the attention of the Vice Chancellor to the hostel, over the unscrupulous actions of the security personnel. And the Vice Chancellor, who is supposed to be the foremost overseer of student welfare , was miles away from the scene, despite the rather lengthy duration of the incidence.

The situation at the medical hostel led to the Chief Security Officer's presence at Hall 2, in company of more surveillance officers and security officers(suspected to be from Homeland security) in other uniforms. He asked for the Senate President; *Etta Enyi* , who had a discussion with the security officials. The Chief Security Officer went ahead to threaten residents of the hostel that, should *Comr. Afufu Anthony* not be released, allegations that ; *Coco Bassey ESU* sponsored cultist to invade the school would be submitted to management.
The leadership of the Hall Government and the Senate President addressed residents, who then released *Comr. Afufu Anthony* untouched.

After his release, the injured Resident were left abandoned by security officials, that they should first report to the medical centre for medical investigation, before the injuries can be admissible as evidence. This statement was greeted with displeasure from residents. Some officials of the surveillance unit attempted to take phones from residents taking pictures and shot in the air while driving away, like hoodlums after a rampage.

Students of the University are currently agitated by the University Management's continuous interference in Student's Union Government, as it was management's decision to release results of an obviously inconclusive election ; an embarrassment of the electoral process. A month ago the Student's Union Government Senate were interrupted by the Chief Security Officer of the University from sitting over petitions of financial misappropriation, corruption, abuse of power and Abuse of due process against the President, and Financial Corruption and Threat to Life and obstruction of the press against the Vice President. The leadership of the Senate was forced to shift grounds and abandon the case even without the knowledge of the Vice Chancellor.

The medical Students are crying for justice and are demanding the intervention of the Government over the intimidation, harassment and injustice done to Nigerian Students even in a time like this.

I must add this without fear or favour..
The PRESTIGIOUS FACULTY OF MEDICINE is the only and greatest ASSET of University of CALABAR, CROSS RIVER STATE..
It is a pity that the school management sees it as a threat for medical students to participate in EXTRA-CURRICULAR activities which is a needful component of Medical Education; this leaves me to wonder if the needs of medical students in University of Calabar such as

*# Medical Hostels for clinical students in the hospital.*

*# Good class blocks and Transportation for medical students.*
Will ever be met.

I must commend the CUMSITES whose unity sent a message to the School Management.
And I must say that it will go along way to fine tune the future of medicine in this country if our leaders and fathers Speak for us their Children and the future of their hard work...

*Signed*
Uyah Edidiong Emmanuel.
*Director,Standing Committee On Medical Education(NiMSA-SCOME)*
*National Officer Medical Education(NOME, Nigeria)*

God bless NIGERIA.
God bless NiMSA.
God bless CUMSA.

*Indeed WE ARE LIMITLESS TOGETHER*

Calabar again. We at Crutech are waiting patiently.