22/08/2025
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE CIRCULATION
Date: Friday, 22nd August 2025
Location: University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Students Condemn Disenfranchisement, Intimidation, and Discriminatory Practices in University of Port Harcourt SUG Election
We, the concerned students of the University of Port Harcourt, wish to bring to the attention of the Nigerian public, civil society organizations, and all relevant authorities the grave irregularities, intimidation, and discriminatory practices that marred today’s Students’ Union Government (SUG) election on our campus.
1. Massive Disenfranchisement
Over two-thirds of the student body were denied the right to vote in today’s election. Among the minority who managed to vote, the number did not amount to one-fifth of the entire student population. This deliberate exclusion undermines the credibility and legitimacy of the entire electoral process.
2. Deployment of Security Forces Against Students
In an alarming and unprecedented move, the Vice Chancellor personally appeared at the election grounds and ordered the deployment of armed security personnel against students. Instead of guaranteeing a free and fair process, this action created an atmosphere of intimidation, harassment, and fear within the university community.
3. Discriminatory Remarks from University Authority
We also condemn the subtle but dangerous insinuation by the Dean of Student Affairs that only Rivers State indigenes should contest for the position of SUG President. This unconstitutional stance directly disenfranchised students from other states—including Law students and others who had already shown leadership potential. Such discriminatory tendencies have no place in a federal university where all students, regardless of origin, pay the same fees, dues, and levies.
Why We Did Not Retaliate
As students, we are fully aware that politics is not the essence of coming to school. The University of Port Harcourt, like every institution of higher learning, awards certification first in character, before learning. It is for this reason that we did not allow ourselves to be provoked into violence, even in the face of disenfranchisement and intimidation.
In the Igbo language, “University” is translated as “Mahadum” — meaning to know them all. We came into this universal ground not just to pass through the school, but to allow the school also pass through us. Our resolve to uphold peace, character, and dignity should never be mistaken for weakness.
Our Call
We urgently call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and the media to investigate this matter without delay. We demand a truly democratic, inclusive, and transparent electoral process that respects the rights of all students of the University of Port Harcourt.
The University is supposed to be a place where fairness, equality, and learning thrive abd not a ground where intimidation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement are normalized.
Signed,
Concerned Students of the University of Port Harcourt
Unique Uniport Uniport, Choba The Crab, Uniport Arts Theatre Nigeria Info 92.3 PH Wazobia FM 94.1 PH
