The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has cast aspersions on the Presidential candidate of the opposition Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 poll, Mr. Peter Obi, over the claim that students of the Auchi Polytechnic were recently killed in the institution of higher learning.
NAPS President, Comrade Eshiofune Paul Oghayan, at a press conference held in Abuja on Monday, insisted that there is no iota of truth in Obi’s claim made on his Facebook and X handle account.
“Let the truth echo across every town and campus in Nigeria: No student died. Few students sustained minor injuries from teargas exposure, but no hospitalisation was recorded,” he noted.
“And most importantly, no life was lost. We challenge Mr. Peter Obi and his sympathisers to present the names, faces, and families of the alleged victims. If none can be found, then it is a deliberate fabrication, weaponised for political clout.
“Mr. Peter Obi’s failure to verify—a man who constantly urges Nigerians to verify—is not just hypocrisy, it is a philosophical betrayal. It is the commodification of grief, the manipulation of emotion, and the exploitation of students to attack the government of the day.”
Calling on Obi not to turn Auchi Polytechnic into his political playground, NAPS claimed that his alleged frequent manipulation of statistics, silence over errors, and refusal to retract falsehoods raise serious questions about his moral compass.
NAPS demanded a public apology from Obi to the entire Nigerian student community and specifically to Auchi Polytechnic, published on the front page of at least four national dailies within 72 hours.
NAPS threatened that failure to do so will be met with massive peaceful student protests, picketing across his known business and political offices and a global media campaign against misinformation in high places.
NAPS thereby demanded a full investigation into the CSO’s role and conduct, an audit of all security collaborations at Auchi Polytechnic, disciplinary measures against negligent officers and justice for injured students during the recently held election into the students’ union government (SUG) of the institution.
