The Senate of the University of Ibadan on Wednesday held an election to pick two members that will be part of the Joint Council/Senate Representatives to screen applicants interested in becoming the new vice chancellor of the 72-year-old institution.
Our correspondent observed that security was beefed up at the Trenchard Hall, the venue of the election, with armed operatives of the Department of State Service and members of Operation Burst present.
Recall that the online election of the Senate members to be part of the selection committee in September was cancelled.
The two candidates who won in the first election won again in the election conducted manually on Wednesday.
Six professors, who announced their withdrawal from the election, said the notice was too short and queried why the senate was rushing to conclude the process.
Prof. Peter Olapegba, Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola and Prof. Moshood Akinsola participated in the election.
Olapegba scored 302 in the manual poll; Ayoola, polled 299 votes, while Akinsola got 17 votes.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had directed that the selection of a new VC to replace Prof. Idowu Olayinka, whose tenure expires on November 30 should start afresh. The Minister had said all the 18 applicants that applied for the post should be invited and screened again, following the protests by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union.
Meanwhile, four members of the Governing Council of university reportedly staged a walk out from a meeting of the council held at the International Conference Centre on Wednesday.
A source told journalists that the members did so because of alleged interference from the management.
The aggrieved members who were said to have stormed out of the meeting are two external members of the Governing Council appointed by the Federal Government, Dr Jaju Muhammad and Prof. Mande Samail.
The two others are two internal members of the council – Prof. Ademola Aremu and Prof. Abel Olorunnisola.
One of them told our correspondent on the telephone, “We do not want to be used to rubber stamp their illegality and we left the venue.”
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