“Prof. Odoh Sues to Block UNIZIK Council Reconstitution”
The former Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Bernard Odoh, has filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Education, Morufu Alausa, in the Federal High Court in Abuja, questioning the legality of his removal from office.
In the legal suit, registered under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/82/2025, dated January 20, 2025, Prof. Odoh is asking the court to issue an order that will prevent the defendants from taking any further steps toward reconstituting the University’s Governing Council until the court has heard and resolved the motion on notice he filed alongside his application.
The defendants named in the case are the Minister of Education, the Federal Ministry of Education, and Prof. Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu, who has been appointed as the acting Vice Chancellor following Prof. Odoh’s removal.
The controversy dates back to November 20, 2024, when President Bola Tinubu announced the dissolution of UNIZIK’s Governing Council and the subsequent dismissal of the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bernard Odoh, alongside the Registrar, Mrs. Rosemary Nwokike.
In response to his removal, Prof. Odoh, a former Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government, has engaged renowned lawyer Prof. Chimezie Kingsley Okorie (SAN) to challenge the legality of the decision.
Seeking Legal Protection
In his ex parte application filed with the court, Prof. Odoh is requesting several urgent interim reliefs, including:
- An injunction to stop the defendants from reconstituting the University’s Governing Council.
- A restraining order preventing Prof. Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu from continuing to act as the Vice Chancellor.
- A court order halting any further actions concerning the appointment or office of the Vice Chancellor.
- A restraining order preventing the defendants from making any changes to the University’s Governing Council.
The application highlights several key grounds, including the importance of upholding the rule of law, the defendants’ alleged disregard for court orders, and the urgency of the matter. Prof. Odoh seeks to maintain order and sanity in the case before the issue escalates further.
The case will now await determination by the Federal High Court.
