Sean Joe-Ezigbo will be the next president of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA).
Results were announced at the CUSA-owned Ollie’s Pub and Patio on April 23.
“There is hope. We will do the best that we can to be able to make CUSA good for the students,” Joe-Ezigbo said in a speech. “We’ll make it an organization that people are happy to say ‘This is my student union.’ You can hold me personally accountable.”
Joe-Ezigbo was previously CUSA’s vice-president (finance) in the 2023-2024 academic year.
In an interview, he said his first priority as president will be to “put people at ease.”
“I think the first thing that we need to do is let students know that … we’re heading into a better future,” he said. “We’re heading into a space where we can actually see some growth.”
To address CUSA’s financial issues, Joe-Ezigbo said he will start by doing an “in-depth dive” into the association’s finances to “figure out how [it] can allocate resources to the best possible places.”
CUSA ran $1.2 million deficits in both the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 fiscal years, according to an operational budget report.
A March referendum to increase the association’s revenues by raising the current CUSA student levy fee failed with 59.8 per cent of students voting no. If passed, it would have raised the students’ CUSA levy fees by more than 90 per cent, from $25.12 per term to $47.80 per term.
In a February interview with the Charlatan, Joe-Ezigbo said that as CUSA president, he would:
- Review CUSA’s student fee levies and summer business operations to address the association’s financial challenges;
- Create a housing support desk to help students secure off-campus housing;
- Offer parking reimbursements for students requiring accessibility accommodations;
- Create survivor-centric supports to address sexual violence in CUSA clubs.
Joe-Ezigbo initially received 1,803 out of 5,036 votes, then received 2,731 out of 4,319 votes in the first round of balloting.
To win the presidency, he received 2,781 out of 4,072 votes in the final round of balloting.
According to CUSA’s electoral code, if no candidate garners sufficient votes to win in any round of voting, “the candidate with the fewest votes will have their votes reallocated to candidates remaining in the running.”
Nagam Abuihmaid initially received 2,034 votes, but was listed as “disqualified” from subsequent rounds.
CUSA has not posted any information about Abuihmaid’s disqualification on its elections website.
Chas Nuhn was eliminated in the second round of balloting with 1,291 votes.
Voter turnout in the presidential election reached around 20.6 per cent, with 5,036 students casting ballots out of 24,338 eligible voters. This marked an increase from last year’s voter turnout, which reached 19.8 per cent.
‘It’s not real’
“You actually don’t have the results,” said the student, Justin Lowe.
Lowe said he was deemed ineligible to run for the CUSA presidency because he was not in school the semester prior to the nomination period due to safety reasons as a survivor of sexual violence. Lowe said he was attempting to appeal the decision that he was ineligible.
“You can’t officiate a president while an appeal is in process,” he said, asking that CUSA call a re-election. “You can go release whatever results, whatever name is on there, but at the end of the day, it’s not real.”
Following Lowe’s speech, three campus security officers arrived at Ollie’s and escorted Lowe out of the venue.
In an interview with the Charlatan, El Fitori said that as CUSA president, she is not involved in appeals processes, but that she received confirmation from the chairperson of the appeals committee that all appeals have been addressed, allowing the presidential election results to be released.
“I have not heard anything in terms of a formal appeal that is going on,” El Fitori said about Lowe’s statements. “They weren’t on the ballot, so they’re not officially a candidate.
“The takeaway from this is that Sean is our incoming president,” she added. “There’s been a lot of road bumps this year, but hopefully there will only be positive things coming.”
11-week delay
Voting in the CUSA presidential and councillor elections closed the evening of Feb. 6. Results of the councillors’ election were released on Feb. 28.
However, the announcement of the presidential election results was delayed amid “a lengthy process of investigating complaints and hearing appeals,” the association said in an Instagram post on April 4.
“The appeals board has rendered a decision,” the April 4 statement reads. “However, there was a claim that a factual error was made and this claim is in the process of being reviewed.
“While we recognize the urgency of the matter, our foremost commitment is to uphold due process and release results that are accurate, transparent and respectful of everyone involved.”
Two presidential complaints have been released on CUSA’s website.
The first complaint, released on Feb. 6, alleges candidate Nagam Abuihmaid violated CUSA’s electoral code, made defamatory and false statements about other candidates, used verbal voter intimidation tactics and gave rewards to students in exchange for votes.
Abuihmaid was given seven demerit points, which will reduce her campaign expense reimbursements by 30 per cent, according to the electoral code.
In a Feb. 6 statement to the Charlatan, Abuihmaid said she recognizes the complaints made against her campaign but they “were the actions of a specific individual” outside of her campaign team.
“This person asked for people to vote for me without my supervision, consent or endorsement,” she said.
“I do not condone any of those actions. I know of no rumours spread by my campaign or volunteers.”
The second complaint, lodged against candidate Chas Nuhn for allegedly bribing voters while tabling, was dismissed and found not to be an electoral offence.
Following the announcement of the presidential election, Nuhn posted a statement to Instagram.
“A delay of over three months in releasing these election results has been frankly disrespectful to the student body,” he wrote.
Despite the delay and his loss, Nuhn said he looks forward to remaining engaged with the Carleton community and encouraged students to do the same.
“I trust the incoming president and executive team will make decisions which ultimately reflect the thoughts and values of our student population,” he wrote. “Win or lose, we all succeed when we work together.”
Throughout the delay, CUSA did not provide information as to which appeals were being reviewed or when results could be expected.
Featured image by Douaa Qadadia. Files from Daniel Fraser and Elissa Mendes.
