Leadership crisis tears Bauchi ASUU apart

While the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is warming up to embark on another round of strike action, leadership crisis has engulfed one of its chapters, Bauchi State University, Gadau (BASUG) in the Bauchi zone of the union which has now become subject of litigation.

An aggrieved member of the BASUG ASUU, who is a lecturer with the Faculty of Law of the University, Dr Idris Danjuma has dragged the Branch to court over failure to conduct an election as the court is set to hear the suit on 21 December 2021.

The lecturer has therefore filed a suit at the State High Court, Katagum Division holden at Azare praying the Court to compel ASUU leadership in Bauchi Zone to hold election of its officials in BASUG as enshrined in the constitution of the union.

In the originating summons with suit number BA/KJD/007/2021, the plaintiff is praying the court to determine pure questions of law regarding the constitutionality or otherwise of postponing the elections of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bauchi State University Gadau chapter.

The lecturer is also seeking the court to determine on elongation of office by the current leadership of the union and the purported interference into the activities of the independent electoral committee of the union duly set up by the Congress of the union.

The summons sought for a declaration that the interference and or directives of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants to the electoral committee of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bauchi state university Gadau chapter which postponed its general election slated to hold on the 18th day of November 2021 barely less than 24 hours to the said election is illegal, null and void.

The lecturer is also seeking a declaration that the 4th to 8th defendants’ terms of office has elapsed having spent more than the constitutionally guaranteed 2 years in consonance with the provision of Article 10 (vi) of the constitution of the Union.

He is praying the court to declare that the 9th to 12th defendants cannot accept, treat or give credence to any petition, observation, or criticism made by any member of the union outside the prescribed period for the receipt of the said petitions, on the ground that the petitioners having slept over their rights to raise any issue timeously to the electoral committee.

Dr Danjuma is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants from further interfering in the conduct of the general election of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bauchi State University, Gadau chapter.

He is demanding that the independent electoral committee duly constituted by the Congress of the union be allowed to conclude the election process lawfully initiated and in consonance with the constitution of the union forthwith as enshrined in Article 14 (2a and b) and Appendix II of the constitution of the union (as amended in 2018).

The lecturer is seeking an order of mandatory injunction compelling the 4th to 8th defendants to immediately vacate office as leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bauchi State University, Gadau chapter having overstayed their constitutional terms without any constitutional backing or reason forthwith.

Dr Danjuma sought for an order of the court directing the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants not to recognize the 4th to 8th defendants as Chairperson, Secretary, assistant secretary, Financial Secretary, and welfare officer of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, Bauchi State University, Gadau chapter, among others.

The defendants according to the court summons include the incorporated trustees of the ASUU; the President of ASUU; Professor Lawan G. Abubakar, the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Bauchi zone, Dr. Yusuf Musa Yahaya, the Chairman ASUU and Isma’il Hassan, Secretary of the union.

Others are Isma’il Haruna, assistant secretary, ASUU Bauchi state university Gadau, Sulaiman Garba Aminu, financial Secretary, ASUU Bauchi State University Gadau, Dahiru Mohammed Umar, welfare officer of the union, Dr Abdulkadir Abubakar, convener, ASUU Bauchi State University Gadau electoral Committee and Dr Shuaibu Umar Gokaru, Secretary, ASUU Bauchi State University Gadau electoral Committee.

The rest according to the court summon are Kamal Mohammed Jibrin, member, ASUU Bauchi state university Gadau electoral Committee, and Abdullahi Ayuba, member, ASUU Bauchi state university Gadau electoral Committee.

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