ASUU Drag Obaseki To Court Over Appointment Of VC, Registrar And Bursar At AAU

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Picqued by the refusal of Edo State Government to constitute a Governing Council for Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, the university’s chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dragged the school and the government to court over the vice chancellorship race and the appointment of other principal officers in the university.

ASUU contested that the advertisement for the positions of vice chancellor, registrar and bursar of the institution in the Vanguard newspaper of October 23 and 25, 2023is abnormal given the fact that the school at present does not have a Governing Council.

The union had in a protest letter dated November 1, 2023 to Governor Godwin Obaseki, the visitor to the university drew his attention to the extant University Law which clearly states that “it is the Governing Council in consultation with the visitor to the university that should drive the process for the appointment of a substantive vice chancellor and other substantive principal officers for the University, including the registrar and bursar.”

Dissatisfied with the non-response by the governor to its memorandum on the controversial advertisements for positions of principal officers, the union resolved to challenge the controversial process of appointment in court, having viewed it as a fundamental breach of the university law.

In Suit No. HEK/M/9/2023 at an Ekpoma High Court, the claimants, Dr. Cyril Oziegbe Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, the chairman and assistant secretary, respectively of the local chapter of ASUU are seeking among others a determination by the court whether upon the combined interpretation and effect of the AAU (Amendment) Law 1999 and the AAU (Special Intervention Powers) Law, 2021, a substantive vice chancellor, registrar and bursar can be appointed for the university without the constitution of Governing Council.

Onogbosele and Odion also want a declaration whether the advertisement for the appointment of a substantive vice chancellor and other principal officers without the constitution of Governing Council for AAU is not ultra vires, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

In the suit which has the Special Intervention Team (SIT), Governor Obaseki and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State as defendants the union in a deposed affidavit in support of the originating summons insisted that the procedure for appointing a substantive vice chancellor for the tertiary institution is copiously stated in Section 3 of the First Schedule of AAU (Amendment) Law, 1999.

The unionists argued that appointing principal officers for the school without a Governing Council will violently contravene the Law that established the university as well as the AAU (Special Intervention Powers) Law of 2021.

They urged the court to grant, among others, a declaration that the three defendants lacked the competence to appoint substantive vice chancellor, registrar and bursar for the school without first constituting Governing Council for the institution.

The chairperson and the scribe also want the court to grant a declaration that the appointment of substantive vice chancellor, registrar and bursar for AAU without the constitution of Governing Council for the said university is null and void and of no effect whatsoever. 

Onogbosele and Odion further urged the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from appointing the substantive principal officers for the state owned school as it's a breach of the provisions of AAU (Amendment) Law, 1999 and AAU (Special Intervention Powers) Law, 2021.

The trial judge is yet to fix a date for the commencement of hearing.





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