National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), has warned the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, not to visit any polytechnic campus in the country.
Obi’s last visit to Edo State has been controversial, as the governor, Monday Okpebholo, warned him not to do so again without permission.
NAPS hinged its action on Obi’s alleged misinforming Nigerians by saying that he watched a heartbreaking video which showed students in Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State running for their lives as they were being shot at during their recent election, which left two students dead and several others injured.
But the students, through their president, Comrade Eshiofune Paul Oghayan, said, “This was not only false, but it was also reckless.”
He went further to draw comparisons between the actions of students and those of political leaders, implying that student unrest was a result of “leaders who have chosen to fight, snatch, grab, and run with it.”
He further clarified, “The first truth is this: Governor Okpebholo did not bar Mr Obi from entering Edo State.
He emphasised a need for preemptive security coordination, a requirement not borne out of bias but of responsible governance.
“When a figure of Peter Obi’s stature visits a state, it is not just a movement but a magnet. And magnets attract more than metals; they attract crowds, expectations, risks, and sometimes, chaos. Indeed,
“Let the records show: security clearance for high-profile visits is standard protocol in modern governance. In 2020, Governor Sanwo-Olu called for restraint and order after the EndSARS protests. In 2019, Governor El-Rufai urged foreign observers to seek clearance before entering volatile regions of the state. This is not political gatekeeping; it is administrative foresight.
“Even more concerning is the pattern emerging from his actions. Mr Obi, without due verification, recently misled the public with false information regarding the Student Union Government (SUG) elections in Auchi Polytechnic. In a widely circulated statement, he claimed.
“Having failed to retract his false statement and refusing to issue a public apology to the student community in Auchi Polytechnic and the nation, we are left with no choice. By the moral authority and constitutional responsibility vested in the office of the president of NAPS, I, Comrade Eshiofune Paul Oghayan, hereby declare Mr Peter Obi as PERSONA NON GRATA on all campuses of our institutions across the country, with a mandated distance of not less than 10 kilometres from any student community.
“This is not vengeance. It is a call for accountability. Leadership cannot preach what it refuses to practice. Influence must not become an avenue for institutional interference”.
(Leadership)
