The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has distanced itself from an alleged endorsement of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahamed Tinubu. This was contained in a statement issued by National President of NANS Comrade Umar Barambu and made available to journalists on Friday 24th February 2023.
The statement reads “It has come to our attention that there have been reports circulating on various media platforms, claiming that the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) alongside other students organizations has endorsed Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the upcoming 2023 presidential election. We wish to state categorically that these claims are false, baseless, mischievous, unfounded and a handwork of some desperate elements to drag the name and integrity of NANS into their charade to save the face of a cascading candidate.”
Thus “We wish to inform Nigerian students and the unsuspecting general public that NANS as a body, has not endorsed any candidate or political party, and will never do so under any guise. NANS is a non-partisan organization that is committed to promoting and protecting the interests of Nigerian students, and ensuring that their voices are heard on issues that affect them.”
The association dissociated itself from the false claims made by one Comrade Smart Edwards and his acclaimed his group, called ‘The NATIVE’, Which according to the President Comrade Barambu has no formal association with NANS whatsoever.
Comrade Barambu pointed out that Comrade Smart Edwards is not a member of NANS and neither his acclaimed group, stressing that they therefore do not have the authority to speak on behalf of the organization.
Barambu urged the public to disregard any claims of NANS endorsing any political candidate or party, adding that NANS remains committed to the mandate of promoting the welfare and interests of Nigerian students, and will continue to advocate for their rights and well-being.
The NANS President concluded by calling on Media houses to avoid publishing stories that has no basis or genuine source most especially at this critical time of election and also calling on the security agencies to rise to the occasion and ensure that people like Comrade Edwards Smart are made to pay the full price of their desperate act to protect the sanctity of our dear organization NANS.
Nigeria Star News 