A campus reporter with Osun Defender, Tijani Abdulkareem, has been elected as the new Speaker of the Students’ Representative Council (ESRC) in the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Tijani, who is widely known by his peers as Hon. Teejay, defeated his sole challenger, Hon. Afolabi Olamide of the Department of Educational Foundations and Counselling (EFC), in a keenly contested election.
The final tally saw Tijani polling 21 votes against Afolabi’s 8, while one vote was declared invalid.
The election took place at Lecture Room EDB 317 and was supervised by the faculty’s Electoral Committee led by Comrade Nasir Hameed.
Speaker-elect, Tijani Abdulkareem
Observers from various quarters, including student leaders and faculty stakeholders, commended the exercise for being orderly, transparent, and devoid of rancour.
In his acceptance speech, Hon. Teejay expressed profound gratitude to his colleagues, campaign team, and mentors, describing his victory as a reflection of a collective vision for progressive leadership.
He pledged to run an inclusive legislative council anchored on accountability and student engagement.
“This mandate belongs to all of us. I’m committed to building a council that listens, learns and legislates for every voice,” he stated.
Other seats in the Council were also filled during the electoral exercise. Hon. Timothy Peace from the Department of Kinesiology, Health and Recreation (KHR) emerged unopposed, garnering 29 votes with one voided.
Hon. Ebemakin Pelumi was returned elected with 28 votes, while Hon. Kanayochukwu Daniel, popularly known as Hon. Prince Dan, also ran unopposed and secured 29 votes, with one vote nullified.
The swearing-in of the newly elected representatives is expected to hold at the beginning of next session.
