A group of staff members from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), including three professors, have taken legal action against the university’s management. They claim the university is not allowing elected members of the governing council to complete their full terms.
Professors Joshua Umelifekwem, Uchenna Odo, and Kenneth Oforkansi, along with Mr. Fimbar Eneogo and Dr. Aaron Agbo, filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Enugu. They are asking for a temporary court order to stop the university from holding new elections for the governing council. Their lawyer, Chijioke Darlington Ezeh, is representing them.
The lawsuit, identified as FHC/E/CS/97 2024, names the University Governing Council, the Senate, the Vice-Chancellor, and the Pro-Chancellor as defendants.
The plaintiffs argue that they were elected to serve four-year terms on the governing board but were prevented from doing so after the university’s governing councils were dissolved and reformed. They are seeking a court order to maintain the current situation until the main lawsuit is resolved.
They are also requesting any additional orders the court deems appropriate.
In their motion, which the reporter obtained, the plaintiffs state that they were specifically elected as internal members of the governing council from different groups within the university, such as the Senate, convocation, and congregation. They claim to have election results, meeting notices, and minutes to support their positions.
The lawsuit also asks the court to interpret the relevant laws to clarify what constitutes a four-year term.
The plaintiffs mention that they have had several meetings with the Vice-Chancellor, the third defendant, who has been uncooperative. They believe this is because his term as Vice-Chancellor will end in June 2024.
The motion also notes that the Vice-Chancellor’s actions are based on a previous decision by the Nigerian Federal Government to suspend all boards of federal institutions, a decision that the plaintiffs believe has since been overturned.
In summary, the plaintiffs are asking the court to prevent new elections and to clarify their right to complete their elected terms on the governing council, citing evidence of their election and ongoing efforts to resolve the matter with the university’s management.
