By DADA AYOKHAI
A fresh crisis is brewing in the Edo State University, Uzairue, Etsako West over the continued stay in office by the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor .
The second term tenure of Prof. Aluyor as Vice-Chancellor terminated on November 28, 2023. This made him served 8 years as VC and has since continued to stay in office leading to disquiet within the academic circle as well as the stagnation of his possible successors .
A socio-political group known as the Edo Consciousness (TEC) believes the sit-tight posture of Prof. Aluyor goes against the letter and the spirit of the regulations established by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and vowed to resist it .
A press statement released by the group and signed by its protem chairman, Mr. Johnny Ogbode, it claimed to be acting in the overall interest of the stakeholders.
According to Mr Ogbode, the continued stay of the Vice-Chancellor, even after the expiration of his tenure, is not tenable in law and called on the relevant authorities to wade in to fend off the break down of law and order that may ensue if the situation is allowed to persist.
The Edo State University was established during the second term of the former comrade governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, now a serving Senator.
According to the group, the sit-tight posture of Prof. Aluyor has made it extremely difficult to find a suitable successors by the Governing Council of the institution. The Governing Council were expected to appoint an acting VC on November 29, 2023 and initiate the process of finding a substantive successor.
Mr. Ogbode further accused Prof. Aluyor of signing official documents, awarding contracts to faceless groups and individuals without following due process even after the expiration of his tenure.
They also contended in their press statement that Prof. Aluyor has embarked on clandestine moves to frustrate other qualified candidates from taking over from him, even if it means doing so in an acting capacity.
They cited the instance of the duo of Prof Vincent Aizebeoje Balogun, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), , and Prof. Obioma Anthony Nwaopara, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), to buttress their point .
In In a separate reaction, the Public Relations officer of the institution, Mr Amaechi Kelly Quincy ignored the questions both on phone calls on chat platform on why the vice chancellor has refused to step aside after completion of tenure .
The registrar of the school Mr Habib Idris Ekhalefo said only the Governing council and the visitor to the school which is the state governor has the right to determine issue of tenure of the Vice chancellor. The petitioner are according to him interloper who has no business on the issue at stake.
The greatest worry of the group, however, is how to prevent the NUC hammer from descending on the institution given that the regulatory body does not waste any time in sanctioning institutions that flout its code on the tenure of Vice-Chancellors.
