By Idris Auwal
The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, has refuted allegations made by former presidential candidate Peter Obi, who claimed that two students lost their lives during a violent incident at the institution.
Obi had posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, alleging that chaos during the students’ union election last Saturday resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to several others.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the institution firmly denied the claims, describing them as false.
Angela Egele, Director of Public Relations at the Polytechnic, clarified that the student elections were adequately secured by multiple law enforcement agencies.
“The attention of Auchi Polytechnic management has been drawn to a claim by Mr. Peter Obi suggesting that the recently conducted Student Union Government (SUG) elections led to the death of two students and left others injured due to gunfire,” Egele stated.
Referencing Obi’s post, she noted: “I saw a heartbreaking video showing students of Auchi Polytechnic fleeing for safety amid gunshots during their student elections, which allegedly led to two deaths and several injuries…”
However, Egele dismissed the narrative as baseless. “The Management categorically states that these claims are entirely false, misleading, and without any factual basis. No student was shot, injured, or killed during the elections, which were eventually declared inconclusive due to identified irregularities.”
She emphasized that a strong security presence—including personnel from the Nigerian Army, Police, Civil Defence Corps, DSS, Mobile Police, and local vigilantes—was deployed to ensure a peaceful process.
The institution urged the public to disregard Obi’s statement.
“We call on the public, stakeholders, and media outlets to disregard this misinformation. Auchi Polytechnic remains steadfast in ensuring a safe and secure environment for all students and staff,” the statement concluded.