UI VC crisis: FG appointees, other council members walk out of meeting

Two external Governing Council members appointed to oversee the process of appointing new Vice Chancellor for the University of Ibadan, Dr Jaju Muhammad and Prof Mande Samaila on Wednesday staged a walk-out from the meeting organised to address petitions against the Senate of the institution.

Other council members who left the meeting were Professor Ademola Aremu and Professor Abel Olorunnisola.

Our correspondent gathered that they walked out after about five and a half hours when the meeting had commenced.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Tunji Oladejo, said he was not at the meeting, saying he has nothing to say about the development.

A source in the council told Daily Trust that members walked out after efforts to ensure that the council maintained absolute control and acted according to the letter from the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission and Federal Ministry of Education which asked the council to review the entire process including re-inviting shortlisted 18 candidates for the VC position.

It was gathered that the council was discussing the validity of the election being conducted by the ougoing Vice Chancellor despite the instruction by the Federal Ministry of Education that the council should take charge.

“You see those who staged walk-out were asking for the letter from Federal Ministry of Education and NUC. They were saying the Senate was wrong to have hurriedly met and ordered election within 24 hours. They were worried that the election did not follow due process. In fact, the election is already generating fresh crisis as many contestants pulled out of the election citing violation of FG directive and illegal process as reasons.

“The fundamental allegations levelled against the candidates have not been independently verified and a thorough investigation conducted. The petition was addressed to the Council and not the Senate. They left when it was obvious that due process will not be followed. I think they don’t want to be used to endorse illegality.”