The National Association of Nigerian Students has firmly denied allegations of a secret meeting between its leadership and Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, regarding its ongoing leadership transition process.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Senate President of NANS, Akinteye Babatunde, dismissed the claims as baseless and unfounded.
He emphasized that the accusations were designed to create division, tarnish reputations, and damage the association’s credibility.
Babatunde stated, “The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students categorically repudiates the spurious and unsubstantiated claims made by Comrade Jubril Batuta regarding an alleged clandestine meeting convened by Mr. Seyi Tinubu to manipulate the forthcoming NANS leadership transition.
“These allegations, bereft of empirical evidence, are a deliberate attempt to sow discord, malign personalities, and undermine the credibility of our esteemed association.”
He reaffirmed NANS’ commitment to maintaining its independence and democratic values, highlighting that the association’s leadership transition process is governed by principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability.
According to Babatunde, the Independent NANS Convention Planning Committee is solely responsible for managing the electoral process in line with the association’s constitution.
“The INANS-CPC is an independent body charged with upholding the sanctity of the electoral process, ensuring that only qualified and eligible candidates participate. It is inconceivable for any external entity, no matter how influential, to subvert this process or impose candidates on the association,” Babatunde asserted.
He also addressed claims of ethnic bias in the leadership process, including allegations of a “Yorubanisation” agenda, labeling such accusations as divisive and contrary to NANS’ principles of unity and inclusiveness.
“It is a gross disservice to the millions of Nigerian students we represent to peddle such inflammatory rhetoric, especially when mechanisms exist within the association to address grievances and verify claims,” Babatunde remarked.
He called on aspirants and stakeholders to focus on presenting their manifestos and engaging with the student body, rather than resorting to unfounded propaganda.
Babatunde added that NANS’ constitution enshrines fairness, meritocracy, and geopolitical zoning in its electoral process, ensuring that ineligible candidates are disqualified through due process.
“The NANS Constitution clearly enshrines the principles of geopolitical zoning, fairness, and meritocracy. Any aspirant found to be ineligible or in contravention of the rules will be duly disqualified by the INANS-CPC, which remains resolute in its mandate to conduct free, fair, and credible elections,” Babatunde said.
He concluded by stressing that NANS’ autonomy remains inviolable and reaffirmed that no individual or group, regardless of their influence, could override the collective will of Nigerian students.
“To this end, we urge Comrade Batuta and other aspirants to refrain from propagating unverified claims that can jeopardize the cohesion and integrity of our association,” he stated.
