Election of new LASU-ASUU officers illegal ― President

The President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi, on Tuesday, dissociated the national body of the union from the newly installed officers of the union at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, saying both the election and the new officers were illegal and therefore not recognised by the national body.

He made the remarks in his reaction to the election of the new officers, namely, Dr Adeolu Bakare from the Department of Economics as Chairman; Dr Babafemi Babatope as Vice Chairman; Dr Sylvester Idowu as Secretary and Dr S.A. Adebanjo as Assistant Secretary; Dr S.O Olabode as Treasurer; Dr S.A. Oladosu as Investment Officer; Dr Adeola Ajibade as Internal Auditor and Dr Ayodele Awotundun as Financial Secretary, last Friday by LASU lecturers.

According to him, all the immediate past executive members of the branch whose appointment had been terminated by the university over various cases of allegations levelled against them, including the chairman, Dr Isaac Oyewunmi; Vice-chairman, Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu and the Secretary, Dr Anthony Dansu, among others) are still in charge of the association in the university.

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He said they were not given a fair hearing before they were relieved of their service to the university and that since their cases against the school authority are pending in a court of competent jurisdictions, they remain the bonafide ASUU exco in LASU until the court proved otherwise.

“And we have already communicated this through a letter to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun and I wonder why he is promoting illegality in the institution,” he stressed.

Professor Ogunyemi, who spoke to our correspondent exclusively, accused the university of consistently violating the constitution of ASUU.

According to him, ASUU constitution is clear about how to elect a new officer at any level and that is the fact that the national body must have a representative on the ground on the day of elections of officers for example at any branch.

“But that did not happen in this case of LASU just because the university authority wanted to impose officers so as to continue caging ASUU and ensure it has no voice again in the university,” he said.

He, however, cautioned the university not to start remitting check-off dues of members in the university which had been stopped about two years ago to the new officers, saying doing so would amount to another act of illegality.