The sacked Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Anambra State, Prof. Bernard Odoh has sued the Minister of Education, Morufu Alausa before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court over the legality of his removal from office.
In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 82/ 2025, and dated January 20, 2025, the plaintiff is seeking an order stopping the defendants from taking any further step to re-constitute the Council or Governing Council of the University pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed alongside the application.
He listed the Minister of Education, Federal Ministry of Education and Prof. Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.
President Bola Tinubu on November 20, 2024 announced the dissolution of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.
President Tinubu had removed the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bernard Odoh, and Registrar, Mrs. Rosemary Nwokike.
However, Odoh, a former Secretary to the State Government of Ebonyi State in the suit filed by his lawyer, Prof. Chimezie Kingsley Okorie (SAN), is challenging the legality of his removal.
In an exparte application filed at the Federal High Court Abuja alongside with a motion on notice, Odoh also joined the acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu in seeking an order of court restraining him from further acting or parading himself as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
The motion exparte was brought pursuant to order section 6(6) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) 26 rules 1 and 2, order 28 rule 2 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the honourable court.
Among the several reliefs sought by the plaintiff/applicants are “an order of interim restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants either by themselves or through their agents, staff or workmen or employees under them or whosoever, from taking any further step to re-constitute the Council or Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice flied along the application.
An order of interim injunction restraining the 3rd defendants from further acting or parading himself as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed along the application.
An order of interim injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or through their agents, staff or workmen or employees under them or whosoever, from further doing anything or taking any step concerning the office or appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed along the application.
An order of interim injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves or through their agents, staff or workmen or employees under them or whosoever, from further doing anything or taking any step concerning the Council or Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed along the application.
The application is predicated on five grounds his argument that “Rule of Law demands that once matter is before a court of law, parties are required not to do anything with the subject matter of the action until final judgment is delivered; “that the 1 and 2nd Defendants are in habit of not respecting court processes; that that there is real urgency as the Defendants are about to destroy the subject matter of the action; that justice of the matter demands that sanity be maintained before the parties resort to self help, and that the Rules of the Honourable Court vested the Plaintiff/Applicant the right to bring the application.”
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