By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Students of Fourah Bay College University of Sierra Leone will be going to the polls today for the second time after the 2nd June 2021 election was disrupted by violence leading to its cancellation by the university administration.
Six candidates are contending for the presidency among them two women, Fatmata Binta Jalloh and Adama Silla , both being perceived by many as the front runners in the race.
It will be the first time British West Africa’s first university will elect a woman as the president of the students union.
Few days to the elections, one of the presidential aspirants, Fatmata Binta Jalloh in a letter, raised concerns and accused the administration of siding with the other female candidate that she alleged did not register within the stipulated deadline set by the university.
Ahead of today’s poll, three of the presidential candidates led by Fatmata Binta Jalloh have in a letter addressed to the media and Civil Society Organizations expressed similar concerns and called for the attention of the two groups to ensure a free and fair electoral process.
“We write to formally bring to your attention the multiple instances of irregularities that marred the Wednesday 2nd June 2021 Students Union (SU) election at Fourah Bay College and that ultimately resulted in the University’s decision to cancel it. Be further informed that a rerun has been scheduled for Friday 11th June 2021 and much to the dismay of the wider student’s populace, the university administration has failed to address many of the fatal electoral irregularities which disenfranchised most of the students from casting their ballots during the just annulled elections,” the statement reads in part.
The aggrieved students argued that the University should allow students offering diploma and certificate courses in the university to vote because according to them, they are part of the university and pay fees which is inclusive of SU charges.
But the head of Media and Public Relations of the University, Dr. Tonya Musa had earlier said that only students in degree programmes are considered part of the university because he said they are the ones with admission numbers which is given after matriculation ceremony.
The letter also noted that out of a student population of 10,000, only 1,500 are enlisted for today’s poll.
“Projecting pre-existing biases- the University administration is expected to play the role of an empire thereby seeking to hold the balance between contesting candidates in the strictest sense. It became glaring that a particular candidate, in the person of Adama Silla was endowed with special favors as opposed to other contestants,” the letter reads.
In conclusion, they called on the administration to ensure that they correct all the anomalies before today’s election.
Copyright (c) Politico Online 2021
