Chaos, accusations rock BSU alumni election as candidates, chapters withdraw in protest

The 2025 Unified Benue State University Alumni Association (BSUAA) National Elective Convention, held on Saturday, May 10, in Makurdi, has triggered intense controversy and discontent among various chapters, stakeholders, and aspirants, leading to mass withdrawals from both the contest and the electoral process.

According to MCC News, allegations of political interference by the Benue State government, irregularities, and opaque practices dominated the discourse surrounding the event.

Critics accused the state of backing a preferred candidate in the presidential race, which prompted two prominent aspirants to step down just a day before the vote.

While the aforementioned publication could not independently verify the allegations, the suspicion alone further polarised the association’s already fragile unity.

The BSUAA has long battled internal divisions, primarily between the Agbadu and Vihimga factions.

On Friday night, tensions reached a boiling point after the electoral committee released a controversial list of national delegates, which many claimed differed from the original versions submitted by branches, including the influential FCT chapter.

Attempting to douse the growing unrest, the committee chairman apologised in the BSUAA WhatsApp group, blaming the incident on a typographical mistake by a typist.

He assured members that the corrected delegate list would be published before voting. However, no such update appeared on the platform before the elections began on Saturday morning.

Angry reactions poured in on the BSUAA national WhatsApp group, with many members expressing outrage over what they described as a fraudulent process. One aggrieved member wrote:

“Very soon government will start electing church elders for churches in Benue State.”
Another fumed: “This is electoral corruption of the highest level… NO one can play God.”
A third member added: “That should be a selection and not election.”

Others went further, directly blaming the Benue State government:

“Benue State government prefers a woman candidate over thousands of aggrieved supporters of qualified candidates… Bad government, even in the Alumni election, you’re interfering rubbish.”

There was also scathing commentary on how the process was manipulated to serve selfish interests. A particularly frustrated member declared:

“It’s so shameful that university alumni are acting out scripts written by the government house for the selfish interest of some corrupt members, as if it’s an okada union.”

The FCT branch, one of the strongest arms of the association, formally withdrew from the election in protest, citing five key reasons in its official statement:

1. “Manipulations and total exclusion of FCT delegates from the list of national delegates as published on the BSUAA national platform by the electoral committee on May 9, 2025;

2. Abuse of the electoral process by the electoral committee;

3. Agbadu faction’s overbearing influence on the electoral process;

4. Disenfranchisement of aspirants from the factional bloc in the electoral process;

5. Lack of transparency in the electoral process.”

Concluding its position, the branch firmly stated:
“Based on the above grounds, FCT branch distances itself from the May 10, 2025, elections and shall, therefore, not recognise the leadership that may emerge from the elections.”

The latest development has not only deepened the divisions within BSUAA but also raised broader concerns about democratic practices even within non-political associations.