Six senior staff members of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, in Owerri, Imo State have faulted the process for the recruitment of the 9th substantive Rector of the institution.
In a petition through, Messes D. C Denwigwe, SAN Associates , the aggrieved staff urged the Federal Government to ensure due process was followed in the recruitment of the next chief executive of the institution.
The petition signed by the six persons who also contested the position of substantive rector of the institution was made available to newsmen in Owerri.
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The six staff members include; Dr Uzoma Ibeja, Dr Christopher Onyemenonu, Dr Lilian Esiagu, Dr Catherine Nwachukwu, Dr Okafo Okereaffia and Dr Chinwe Okpoechi.
The petition was addressed to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
According to the petitioners, they were shortlisted alongside Dr Basilia Igbokwe for an interview which was to be held on August 6, 2034, but that they were compelled to sit for an examination instead.
They stated that sitting for examination instead of interview was a breach of the provisions of the Polytechnics Act 2019 (As Amended).
They also said that the resource person, Professor Okorie Kalu Osonwa, a former Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba recruited for the conduct of the exercise was unqualified. They insisted that results from a process overseen by him should not be considered acceptable.
They further said that four, out of the seven members of the selection board suggested that the exercise be halted, having observed anomalies, until all issues raised by the protesting candidates were addressed.
According to them, there was no collation of candidates’ results and no reports on the exercise were written, signed, adopted and submitted to the Governing Council of the Polytechnic.
They therefore dissociated themselves from any purported results of candidates for the position submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education by the Chairman of the Governing Council, Hon. Henry Ikoh.
They described such results as “contrivances of some persons who unlawfully desire to foist a rector on the institution “.
They called for detailed investigations into the exercise to determine its compliance or not with extant laws, bias and transparency.
“We call on the Honourable Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, to reject any results purportedly emanating from this flawed process in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to due process as expressed in his visit to our institution one year ago.
We also call for the conduct of a fresh interview in line with extant laws to ensure that the process leading to the the emergence of a substantive rector is beyond reproach “.
Recall that the Governing Council in its report submitted on August 7 shortlisted Dr. Basilia Igbokwe, Dr. Onyemenonu C.C and Dr. Okafo Okoreaffia as placing first, second and third respectively in the recruitment examination conducted in respect of the rectorship position of the institution.
Whoever emerges rector will be succeeding Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa.
