The process leading to the selection of a new Vice Chancellor for the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), has taken a more intriguing turn as four staff members of the institution, all indigenes of Abia State, were on Monday invited to the DSS office in Umuahia over an allegation of planning to stage a protest.
According to reports, the four officers among them the Chairman of Abia Staff in MOUAU were questioned following intelligence the security agency said it received regarding a protest allegedly scheduled for Monday at noon.
The DSS invitation came hours after the Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, had reportedly directed the University management during a Council meeting on Saturday to investigate interest group that recently demanded transparency and integrity in the ongoing selection process for a new Vice Chancellor.
The invited staff were said to be among those who had joined the growing calls for transparency in the appointment process, which is expected to be concluded next month. At their regular monthly meeting, the group had also advocated the consideration of an Abia indigene as the next Vice Chancellor, citing precedents in other institutions.
Sources said that while the invited staff could not confirm any link between Comrade Edeh and their invitation by the DSS, they urged the security agency to probe whoever supplied the information that led to the action, warning that such a person or group was not acting in the interest of peace.
One of the affected staff members told our correspondent that the DSS cautioned them to avoid actions that could be interpreted as divisive or capable of undermining peace in the university ahead of next month’s appointment.
In a swift reaction, another staff member of Abia origin who was not among those invited and who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization accused the Governing Council Chairman of instigating the move. The staff member described the development as a breach of constitutional rights to freedom of association and speech.
“We didn’t commit any crime by demanding transparency in the selection process of a new Vice Chancellor. We also didn’t commit any crime by asking that an Abia indigene be considered for the position, as is done elsewhere. Anyone pushing for our arrest must have something to hide,” the staff alleged.
It was gathered that the Abia staff meeting earlier scheduled for noon, which was reportedly misconstrued as a planned protest, was subsequently rescheduled to 4 p.m.
Attempts to reach the MOUAU Governing Council Chairman for comments were unsuccessful, while the Vice Chancellor was said to be away on official duties outside the state.
Recall that last week, a pressure group, the Abia Democratic Alliance, also demanded transparency and integrity in the choice of the next Vice Chancellor for MOUAU, following allegations that Comrade Edeh was attempting to impose a particular candidate on the institution.
