Olatunji Haleem, Alao Abiodun and Adedokun Seyi.
While the impeached Vice President of the Students' Union, University of Ibadan, in an interview with UCJUI correspondents had claimed that some members and non-members of the House demanded for their share of the N800,000 given to the Union by Governor Ajimobi, one of those she mentioned, Barack O'payne, has denied the allegation as he said nothing of such happened. He said he neither had any business with her nor does he have her number.
Below was what he had to say during an interview with UCJUI correspondent, in Lagos.
Question: You were alleged by the Vice President that you demanded a share of money that was given by the governor of Oyo state, Governor Abiola AjÃmobi. What's your take about that?
Opayne: "When the news broke at the early hours of the day, I was actually in bed and I got a call that I've been alleged, that I should go and read the article.It was just very laughable,I find it laughable. Even when I was House Secretary in the year 2013, I can count the number of times I have entered the office of the then vice president in person of Adebiyi Oluwaseun, who is now a postgraduate student of Biochemistry.
Then I now begin to wonder,now that I'm a postgraduate student, and why I would want to probably go after the current vice president in request for money. I find it so very laughabe,but I think,in as much as it is acclaimed,I think it is expedient of her to re-establish,prove an evidence, probably date and time or footings and recordings or give us pictures of when the event she claimed transpired. It is very laughable and I find it so shocking,so I'm taking her back".
Question; I don't know if you are conversant that you were also accused of joining hands behind their travails in impeachment, suspension saga. Do you think you had an hand in it or you think something had happened or some Honourables are sponsored to suspend her or impeach her due to the whole saga on ground?
Opayne: I think that is so wrong in the sense that,when the first incidence of her budget defence happened,I was so vocal about the fact that the amount she brought was stupid. The is the first time I'll be seeing a students' union executive vice president bringing a two digits of million naira to the house for approval. I've served before,and several sets of executives too have served, but I understand that there is economic recession, but as at then, I could remember that I was only speaking against the thing in the sense that,just to curb and even to save our head as it were because those figures are too bogus.
And,fine, she felt I was against her,but in the long run,I kept silent about it,because I felt, let the house do justice to it. And on the long run,the house did justice and a committee was also set up to monitor what has been allocated to the respective event and programme she planned for. You understand! And I believe the committee did justice. So, it's a function of what is expected of me as an honourable representing the postgraduate Hall.
Another thing is that, during the time of her suspension, as God would have it,I came to the sitting late and it is part of the standing order,that when you come to the sitting late, you won't have speaking right. So,the day she was suspended, I was only seated in the house as a member of the house, but more like an observer because I was not opportune to talk. So,when the motion was raised,when it was seconded, I was just looking at the seat that there was no way I could talk about it, I don't have any hand in that. Furthermore,when the issue of impeachment also came, it's still something that I was still surprised, and as God would have it, I was not around, I was not in school for the sitting, I'm in Lagos. So there was no way I could have probably have orchestrated either the suspension or impeachment.
And besides, I'm just one out of 120 Honorables, and the way the SRC operates is on popular democracy, it is a game of numbers. If you have larger percentage of people in favour of a particular bill or a motion, then I think those are the people that would have it,not an individual and not because of Barrack O' payne,but I'm also just one member of the house and one voice and my voice can never overshadow the voice of others.It is what the members of the house decides. So as far as the suspension is concerned, as God will have it, I was not able to talk, I wasn't able to vote because I came Late for the sitting. I only got the information just like an ordinary 'uite' got it via whatsapp.
Question: Did you receive any some of money from the Vice President?
O'Payne: It's very funny. I didn't receive any money and thank God In her allegation, she never said I received money from her. She said I came to her or I called her. She can probably give a snapshot of the number of times I called her becuase as it were, I don't even have her number on my phone because I don't have any business with her. What business will I have with a 300L student when I'm there thinking about how to pass my exams and write my project in the department of sociology.
Source: UCJUI
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