CHAPTER21: THE WINNER OF THE SUG PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
Few months later, after one of the lecturers that sent assassins to kill Orkumaga because of Susan was expelled from the university and was also sentenced, Orkumaga's course mates had urged him to buy a form to contest for the position of the SUG but he reluctantly refused to heed to their words. He refused to listen to them with justifications that he was not ready to join school politics as it would make him to lose concentration but still, some of the students convinced him that with the love the whole school had for him, it would be like magic if he would challenge for the election. They again told him that with his popularity, he had a chance to win without any challenges but since he was not yet ready to get involved in politics in the school, he kept declining interest in it. He kept telling them to look for another student that would lead them but as they kept coaxing him, he agreed only and after he seek the genuine consent of his parents and if they would be proud of him knowing he had to contest for the school election. He called, inquired and his parents gave him the go ahead and also reminded him that, it was because of the leadership he chose the university over many other universities that gave him scholarships. They advised him to go ahead and prove to them that he's the true son of his parents. As he was given permission by his parents ,Orkumaga immediately agreed to contest for the election and then thanked his parents for supporting him. After he finished discussing with his parents, he phoned some of his trusted mates and communicated with them on how to go about it and they all gave him tactics.
After meditating over it for up to a week, he summoned his mates again after lectures and invited them for a meeting in the evening in one of the auditoriums in the school. When they convened, Orkumaga now stood up and welcomed the students and also thanked them for honoring his request and they all answered and assured him of their love for him. Orkumaga again stood up and said to the students that, the reason he had summoned them was to submit to their plea for him to contest for the position of the SUG and also said that without them he's nothing. As he agreed to contest for the election as most of the students were persuading him to contest, all the students couldn't allow him to finish what he was saying before they began to herald him.
Some even started calling him president at that very minute. After getting assurances of support from his mates as some of them instantly pledged that they were going to do posters for him, while some chose to do jotters with his pictures on it and also some promised to buy and print T-shirts for him with some agreeing to provide money for him to buy ticket.
After they ended the meeting, Orkumaga again called his father and told him about his mates' assurance of supports for his campaigns and again his father Mr. Martins told him that he was proud of him and there, he asked him to send his plans to him and he immediately wrote the list of the items he wanted to buy and also everything they planned to do for the campaigns.
After going through the text message, Mr Martins sent money to Orkumaga to also support him in the campaigns.
Immediately Orkumaga received the money, he called his father and thanked him for always being the best father to him and again his father advised him not to engage in dirty politics that would cause harm to him and again advised him to be cautious.
Orkumaga, having heard his father's advice, assured him of always making him proud.
When he ended the call, he called some of his mates for a meeting again to plan for the campaigns and they all agreed to meet in the evening and at 7PM. Later in the evening, all of them met at one of the restaurants outside the school main gate.
After opening the meeting with prayers by one of the students, Orkumaga now thanked them and from there the meeting began.
In the meeting, most of the students that promised to provide Orkumaga with T-shirts, Jotters, posters still assured him of fulfilling their promises as they all promised. When they finished assuring him, few of the students suggested that their campaigns should be brief and also during morning lectures, and some also suggested that they should paste some of the posters on the sign boards and walls. Some suggested that the jotters should be shared to the students as they move around campaigning one on one and also during manifesto.
After all the suggestions, Orkumaga stood up and being pleased with their suggestions, he lauded his mates as the best planners ever in the world and then went on to hug each of them as they now agreed to meet again in few days when the posters, Jotters, T-shirts and everything would be available.
One week after the meeting, all the things planned were set so they gathered them together and launched campaigns by going round the school campaigning and sharing gifts as they bought. More than 10 students contested with him to be the SUG so they were all doing same. So, on the day of Manifesto, all the other students that were with him declared their intentions but when it reached Orkumaga's turn to talk, the whole gathering started booming with cheers while the posters were all displayed with some students writing so many good things about him on banners. Some wrote good things about him on their designed T-shirts and the whole students were singing and cheering Orkumaga as the only contestant they knew. As he heard that all the students were cheering his name and also acknowledging that he was loved, he pleaded with them to show decorum by calming down the cheering to hear from him and they all reduced the noise and gave heed to what he had to say. Orkumaga now greeted them and told them that he loves them all.
When he had finished greeting them, he told them that he believed in equality and then said to them that as students, they were all supposed to be treated the same and also as a human, he said that they are living in an egalitarian society where every human is equal so he or she should be treated equal. He told them that he would not be contesting to become ahead of them but to serve them for their interest. He brought up the Issues of the lecturer that wanted to kill him because of a lady who had the right to choose who she loves, for him also having right to be loved by her no matter who he was. He told them that for the fact that being a student doesn't mean you can't win in a contest against any lecturer. He told them that Juliet loved him not because he was rich but because he was also a human so even as a student, he told them that they can win and then promised to help bring down the high school fees, handouts, and also fight for the right to get their yearly stipends as it's their right as a student. He promised to help in students scholarships and many more that he will get to know and then ended up with his speech by telling them to believe that they can win and again told them to repeat after him 3 times that we can win and they all repeated "We Can Win" 3 times then how bowed and stepped down. All the students were shouting and calling him the SUG president as he made his way out of the venue.
Few months after campaigns, the election date was fixed. So on that day, all the students that went there to vote were voting and singing his name as their hope as he was just smiling and thanking them.
3 hours after voting was closed, all the votes were counted and then the winner was set to be announced but then the VC had already instructed that he would want to be the one to announce the winner and in a special way. So they skipped the announcement of the results to be announced the following day. Early in the morning the following day, all the students that were in Orkumaga's camp gathered together with him and prayed for the result to favor them as they were now set to hear the results.
At exactly 10AM, the VC, Registrar and all the school authorities gathered in the hall with the students for the results to be announced. Some special seats were placed in front of the stage beside the VC and the other school authorities as they all seated. So, the VC was given microphone to talk and he immediately stood up and greeted all the students and told them to clap for themselves and they all did. He then told them that, the reason he had asked for the result to be held for him to announce it him self is because of the conduct of the students. He explained again that he felt like appreciating the students as they are the voters and also the contestants for their peaceful conduct and again hailed the contestants and told them that they all deserved to win... He told them that its unfortunate that they have only one winner.
Before he announced the winner, he told all the students that contested to believe that they all won.
While he was still talking, the results were given to him by one of the lecturers that was part of the people that conducted the election.
When the results was given to the VC, he gave the lecturer who was in charge of the student affairs the opportunity to talk. The lecturer now stepped forward and welcomed the students and again, thanked them all for the peaceful conducts and explained that they showed peace all through out the election period, starting from the day they opened campaigns to the last day.
Before he ended his speech, he commended the students who were vying for the same post for showing truly that they all deserves to be the leaders of tomorrow beyond the school.
When the lecturer finished his speech, the VC immediately took the envelope and opened to announce the winner.
From the results, 5000 people casted votes but Orkumaga was able to accumulate 3000 votes. Leaving 2000 for the remaining 9 aspirants. Although there were some of them that got not even a single vote but because of their peaceful conducts, the VC told them that they all came second and immediately declared Orkumaga as the winner of the election to become the new SUG. After Orkumaga was announced the winner, the outgoing SUG was given opportunity to talk and he immediately stood up to give his speech.
He thanked all the students for their friendly handlings and advised them to always give the school a special name.
Continuing with his speech, the outgoing SUG said that through out his stay in the school, it was the first time he saw something unique and again, advised the incoming SUG (Orkumaga) to be the man he's known for and aso added that by doing so, he will go places.
Immediately the outgoing SUG finished talking, Orkumaga was given opportunity to talk and as he stood up, tears started spewing out of his eyes but he explained that he was not crying because of pains but its the joy in his heart that brought tears out of his eyes.
While still talking, he thanked the students and told them that he acknowledged them as the reason he won and its also their love for him that made him emotional to shade tears. He again said that the love shown to him can't be measured.
After he finished acknowledging the students, he thanked all the school authorities and also the outgoing SUG and appreciated him for his kind gestures and the advised the students that contested with him to always call themselves winners and then ended up his speech by assuring the students that he is the president for them and not for only himself and immediately the students heard that, they began to hail him as their new president and then, everyone was immediately dismissed.
After he was proclaimed the winner in the election, he went home and called his parents and told them the great news and they were all proud of him. His father hearing that, said to him that his road is always express and he would have loved if he was present to witness it but because he was at work, they didn't make it but Orkumaga said to him that it's fine.
And while he was on the phone with his father telling him the good news his mother (Dooter) who had sufferer most began to shade tears as all that was said by the Old man was happening and immediately called her Parents Ayaaga and Mrs Mzamber and told them the great news. Remembering them what the old man had said and all were pleased as all that was said by the man was happening. Susan being proud of her boyfriend also called Orkumaga and congratulated him as he won the election to become the SUG president of the Future Leaders University.