’40-year-old’ now president of Nigerian students

The National Association of Nigerian students (NANS) has elected Tijani Usman Shehu as its new president, amid chaos and violence that characterised its convention at Delta State University, Abraka, Delta state.

Shehu is said to have had well over 160 votes from 239 eligible voters present.

Shehu is reported to be a student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was also an officer of the association in the 1990s.

Many resisted his participation in the election for studentship and age reason, but his fans opposed, arguing that only his parents could tell his true age.

“I know many are crying wolf over his age and NANS’ normal cry of non-studentship,” a fan of his wrote on Facebook.

“But if truly he was not a student, then the CPC or the convention chairman was in a good position to pronounce it and disqualify him. But since the reverse is the case, then Tijani Usman is a student and nobody should tell me his age except his parents.”

A source who was at the convention in Asaba told TheCable that the convention was brought to an abrupt end with the election of just four office holders.

“They brought the convention to an abrupt end when they had voted into their four key offices; the president, senate president, treasurer and ex-officio II,” he said.

Many of those who attended the convention had expressed fears that the new NANS would be an appendage of the People Democratic Party (PDP), as the new president is a staunch supporter of the party.

“That’s not hidden,” a top NANS figure told TheCable.

“All I see here is continuity, as the previous president, Yinka Gbadebo (aka Ayefelle), a student representative of the just-concluded national confab was in support of the president-elect and both of them support Team Jonathan 2015”

Roys Ochais, the newly-elected senate president whose university could not be confirmed also said to be close 40 years of age.

Many student-senators decried the hands of political parties in the running of the NAN elections.

“Most senators (student union presidents) are selling their tags to stand by who they will vote for” an aspirant told TheCable.

“It is an irony that the people who say Buhari is too old for to be president in 2015 will elect a 40-year-old as NANS president.”