Osegbue, Odinkalu, head to challenge Governor Soludo in court over VC appointment
By our correspondent
The tussle over the Vice-Chancellorship of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) involves Professor Chike Osegbue, who has filed a suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria seeking to nullify the appointment of Professor Kate Omenugha as Vice Chancellor. Osegbue claims he scored highest in the Selection and Appointment exercise conducted by the University’s joint committee of Council and Senate, chaired by Professor Chidi Odinkalu, the Pro-chancellor.
According to Osegbue, the appointment of Omenugha by the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, was illegal and against the university’s law because Omenugha did not rank among the top three recommended candidates.
Osegbue seeks a court declaration that he is the rightful Vice Chancellor based on the ranking in the recommendation list and challenges the Governor’s authority to appoint Omenugha outside that recommendation. The court has listed the case for hearing on September 3, 2025.
Professor Osegbue’s claim relates to his position as the candidate who led the ranking in the Council’s recommendation but has not been formally appointed as Vice Chancellor by the Governor, which is necessary for occupying the office.
The dispute centers on the interpretation of university law, specifically Section 11(4)(d) of the COOU Law 2014, and whether the Governor can appoint a candidate outside the Council’s recommendation .
This situation explains why Osegbue refers to a “stolen mandate,” contesting the legitimacy of the current appointment and asserting his right to the position based on the selection process results, despite not having been formally appointed yet .
Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha was officially appointed as the substantive Vice Chancellor of the University of Anambra State about two weeks ago by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, following the University Council’s search and recommendation process.
Prior to this confirmation, she served as the Acting Vice Chancellor for approximately twenty months. Notably, she is the second female professor of mass communications in Nigeria.
The decision to approach the industrial court is based on Osegbue’s belief that he was the most qualified for the job. However, this action, supported by the university’s council chairman, is an affront to Governor Soludo, who reserves the right to appoint a Vice Chancellor for the Anambra State-owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. Professor Osegbue had, in a piece, claimed that the University Visitor (Governor Soludo) violated the university ordinance. “Let us be clear, the struggle is not over. Our mandate has not been lost, it has only been deferred,” Osegbue said. Even more, cautioning the governor, Osegbue wrote that “those who wield authority today must also reckon with conscience of tomorrow,” he admonished Soludo.
However, for reasons that are unclear, it was gathered that the university council chairman, Odinkalu, who was appointed by Governor Soludo, wanted Professor Chike Osegbue to be appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the university, but was disappointed by the governor’s choice. Placed side by side in terms of academic proficiency and global competitiveness, Professor Kate Omenugha towers far and above Professor Osegbue in measurable academic credentials in terms of quality publications. Even more, Omenugha also trumps Osegbue in terms of projects attracted to the university through her social capital. While Omenugha has attracted multiple multi-million naira projects, Osegbue has attracted nothing to the University. Only recently, Omenugha attracted thousands of Euros in funding to the university from Erasmus. In addition, during the twenty months she served as Vice Chancellor in an acting capacity, the university underwent a transformation, characterized by her three Vs: Value, Viability, and Visibility. All these are easily verifiable.
It remains to be seen how Governor Soludo will receive this challenge from Professors Odinkalu and Osegbue.
