The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avoid associating with impersonators claiming leadership within the body.
The President on Wednesday met with a faction of the NANS led by one politician, Lucky Emonefe at the Presidential Villa, where he pledged to intervene in the issue regarding the arbitrary hiking of tuition by tertiary schools.
Emonefe, aged 48, last year declared himself the president of the association despite losing to Pedro Obi, a Ph.D. student of Guidance and Counselling Studies from Delta State University.
The former councillorship aspirant was the preferred choice of Seyi Tinubu, son of the President.
Reacting to the meeting, Comrade Kings Tamarapreye, NANS Secretary General in a statement asked Tinubu to stop polarising the organization. He also urged the President to refrain from engaging with individuals purporting to represent NANS without proper verification.
The statement read, “It has come to our attention that individuals, notably led by one Lucky Emonefe, are falsely portraying themselves as the leadership of NANS. We wish to clarify that the authentic and duly elected President of NANS is Comrade Pedro Chibuzo Obi.
“We urge President Tinubu to refrain from engaging with individuals purporting to represent NANS without proper verification. The legitimate leadership under Comrade Pedro Chibuzo Obi stands ready to engage and provide any necessary information to the President.
“Furthermore, we advise President Tinubu to seek guidance from the former leadership of NANS, led by Comrade Usman Umar Barambu, to ascertain the current leadership accurately. The President must avoid relying on misinformation propagated by individuals such as Comrade Sunday Asefon who is incompetent and biased as an SSA on Student Affairs to the President. He has been identified as a divisive figure within the association.
“NANS views President Tinubu as a progressive and pragmatic leader and implores him not to allow falsehood and manipulations to tarnish his reputation. We appeal to President Tinubu to exercise caution and conduct thorough consultations before endorsing individuals claiming to represent NANS.
“In conclusion, NANS reiterates its commitment to upholding transparency and accountability within the organization and urges all stakeholders to support the legitimate leadership under Comrade Pedro Chibuzo Obi.”