Odinkalu Breaks Silence On Ojukwu University VC Appointment Dispute, Tackles Govt

By Tony Okafor, Awka

Former Chairman of the Governing Council of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has accused the Anambra State Government and the university management of colluding to undermine an ongoing legal challenge over the appointment of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor.

Odinkalu, a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, made the allegations in a statement posted on his verified social media platform amid growing controversy surrounding the leadership of the university.

The legal scholar said issues raised recently by the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, regarding his tenure as Chairman of the university’s Governing Council were already the subject of litigation before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

According to him, he is one of the defendants in the suit, alongside Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the state’s Attorney-General, the university and its Governing Council.
Odinkalu alleged that after entering appearance in the matter, the state government and university authorities procured a judgment from an Anambra State High Court in Otuocha in a manner designed to circumvent the proceedings already pending before the National Industrial Court.

He claimed that the plaintiff in the Otuocha case was not an applicant for the Vice-Chancellor position and had no direct stake in the appointment process.
“The State High Court knows the matter is not one over which it has jurisdiction,” Odinkalu said, questioning both the competence and speed with which the case was determined.

He further alleged that the suit was filed on September 15, 2025, and judgment delivered on September 26, 2025 — a period he described as unusually swift.
“The judgment could not have been more favourable if it was written by a party to the proceedings,” he stated.

Odinkalu said the development convinced him that he was facing an uneven contest but declined to elaborate further, citing respect for the ongoing judicial process.
He maintained that, unlike public officials commenting on the dispute, he would refrain from discussing the substantive issues until the court proceedings are concluded.

The former governing council chairman, however, indicated that he would, at the appropriate time, respond comprehensively to what he described as actions taken by those behind the controversy.

The dispute is the latest twist in the prolonged controversy surrounding the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of COOU, a process that has generated legal battles, political exchanges and intense public scrutiny.

As of press time, the Anambra State Government and the management of COOU had not officially responded to Odinkalu’s allegations.