It is election season in ABH again. On the 9th of April 2023, the Alexander Brown Hall Electoral Commission announced the lifting of the ban on electoral activities and commenced the sale of forms to Brownites interested in the various executive positions in the hall. Whispers and rumors were soon rampant in the hall as Brownites speculated on who the candidates could be this year. Given the intrigue that defined the last election season in the hall, many Brownites were eager for another exciting election. Others wished it would be quiet.
The latter group appears to have gotten its wish. The buzz that usually accompanies elections and hall politics has been noticeably absent. It is telling that the Electoral Commission deemed it necessary to extend the deadline for submission of forms by one week on the 16th of April 2023. By the 7th of May- three weeks after the extension, only two candidates had made their intention to run for executive office public. It promises to be an uneventful election, boring even.
Several explanations have been made for the perceived apathy amongst Brownites. It is worth noting that the same phenomenon plagues the different associations to which Brownites belong. Perhaps the apathy is a product of a general exhaustion sweeping through students of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. It is equally possible that the economic situation of the country has made running for office too expensive for a lot of people. It could also be that aspirants who have picked up forms for executive positions do not see the need to campaign as they do not have opponents. No one really agrees on what the cause may be. No one knows.
Since apathy is not easily quantifiable, there seem to be discrepancies in the perception of public participation in the Hall. Titofarati Yusuf of the 2k21 physiotherapy class agreed that there was growing disinterest amongst the members of the hall, but did not give a reason why. Bukola Oduntan of the 2k18 BDS class agreed. “Yes (there is political apathy in ABH), I’ve barely heard anything about the elections and I didn’t even know the election process had started until this morning. I think the apathy is because nobody is talking about it and there’s no drama yet.”On the other hand, Igbor Gloria of the 2k19 MLS class disagreed that the participation in ABH was down. She said, “Not exactly. The students that are more interested in the affairs of the hall are greater than those that aren’t.”
In a little while, members of the Hall will be at the polls to decide who would make up the next Executive Council of the Hall. Those who feel election season should come with excitement will be sorely disappointed, barring some unexpected eventuality.
