Nigerian University, UNN Dragged To Court For Terminating Appointment Of Three Professors In Governing Council
Some staff of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) including three professors have sued the management of the university for refusing to allow subsisting elected members of the governing council to exhaust their tenure in office.
The workers in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Enugu is seeking for an interlocutory injunction restraining the university from conducting fresh election into the governing council of the institution.
The applicants; Professors Joshua Umelifekwem, Uchenna Odo, and Kenneth Oforkansi, Mr. Fimbar Eneogo and Dr. Aaron Agbo filed the suit through their counsel, Chijioke Darlington Ezeh.
Joined in the suit numbered FHC/E/CS/97 2024, are the University Governing Council, the Senate of the University, Vice Chancellor and pro-Chancellor as the 1 to 4 defendants.
The Applicants avowed that they were elected for a four-year tenure as internal members of the governing board but were not allowed to continue in office after the dissolution and reconstitution of governing councils of universities.
They are also praying for an order of the court compelling both parties in the suit to maintain the peace and status quo orchestrated by these orders pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
They are equally seeking any other order or such further orders as the honourable court may deem fit and proper to make in this circumstance.
The applicants in a motion on notice SaharaReporters obtained claimed that they were distinctively elected as internal members of the governing council of the university of Nigeria from the various categories of Senate, convocation and congregation.
They stated that they had their distinct memoranda to council, election results, notice of meeting and minutes of meetings.
The suit is equally urging the court to construe relevant provisions of interpretation Act as to what constitutes four years under the law.
The applicants disclosed that they had held several meetings with the 3rd defendant who is the Vice Chancellor of the university but he has remained obstinate and recalcitrant in doing the unlawful probably because his tenure as vice Chancellor will be coming to an end sometime in June 2024.
“We have held several meetings with the 4th defendant but he has remained obstinate and recalcitrant in doing the unlawful probably because his tenure as vice Chancellor will be coming to an end sometime in June 2024.
“That the contention and reason of the 4th defendant upon which he is currently acting arbitrarily was that the Federal Government of Nigeria at a time suspended all boards of the Federal Government institutions decision of which we know has been rescinded since” the motion on notice read in part
