NANS not divided, says official
From Jane Ezereonwu (Abuja) and Olarenwaju Adesanya, Lagos
NATIONAL Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Senate President, Musa Ohimini Alechenu has dismissed reports that the body is factionalised.
Instead, he said the "Nigerian students movement is united in vision and purpose despite the plots of anti-people forces to split and weaken it".
Speaking with The Guardian, Mr. Alechenu, a University of Jos student, said the "suspended NANS president, Tony Okey Nwoye, who is still parading himself as the leader, is hoodwinking the public to believe that he is still in office".
According to him: "Nwoye was suspended for forgery and misrepresentation by NANS representatives just like a president, governor and other public officials are suspended or impeached through due process. The vice-president automatically took over until final determination of Nwoye's case.
"Even the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Adams Oshiomhole, acknowledged this when he issued a press statement to denounce the disruption of a NANS rally to support the fuel strike by Nwoye's group".
Nwoye had denied the allegations against him, saying enemies plotted his removal.
But Alechenu dismissed a paid newspaper (not The Guardian) advertisement of a purported communique "induced" by Nwoye, allegedly impeaching the senate president.
His words: "A senate meeting which I called on June 11, which was to last till June 13, at the Federal Polytechnic Bida, was postponed indefinitely owing to the mood of national security in relation to NLC strike then in progress.
"For the fact that NANS is the student vanguard of the oppressed and NANS Constitution Article 2 sub-Section B and C, provides for solidarising and harmonising with our sister union and more so June 12 falls into that period, we wanted to use the NLC strike to also voice out students and their parents' demands to the state vis-�-vis the N10,000 bed space, privatisation of federal institutions, among others.
"The suspended NANS president who does not have the locus standi because of the situation in which he is now, purportedly gathered the non-students and eventually emerged with a communique. We are asking students, officials of NANS and the general public to disregard the published piece made in an advert form".
He added: "Our position remains that the resolution of the 59th Senate meeting held at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma to the extent of passing a vote of no confidence and subsequent pronouncement of the suspension of Tony Nwoye as the NANS president is unaltered".
Alechenu said the new date of the 60th NANS senate session and venue will be duly communicated to the public soon.
The crisis in the association took another dimension recently when Nwoye's faction purportedly removed Comrade Alechenu for alleged breach of peace and NANS Constitution, assassination of Nwoye's character and criticisms of the Federal Government officials, among other charges.
