Court Orders UniAbuja VC to Appear Over Disputed Council Inauguration

The lecturers are requesting an interim injunction to maintain the status quo and restrain the VC and others from conducting the inauguration pending the determination of their motion.

Jun 8, 2024 - 09:34

Court Orders UniAbuja VC to Appear Over Disputed Council Inauguration

The Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Professor Rasheed Na’Allah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, to appear before the court on June 13. The order was issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo following an ex-parte motion moved by the plaintiffs' counsel, Maxwell Opara.

The plaintiffs, six senior lecturers from the university, are Professors Saint Gbilekaa, Edmund Nwanna, Sunday Ejaro, Kasim Umar, Wesley Nafarnda, and Dr. Uju Patrick. They filed the motion ex-parte, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/683/2024, seeking to stop the planned inauguration of newly elected Internal Governing Council Members.

The Vice Chancellor, alongside the President of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the National Universities Commission, were listed as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.

The lecturers are requesting an interim injunction to maintain the status quo and restrain the VC and others from conducting the inauguration pending the determination of their motion. They also seek to prevent the newly elected council members from assuming their roles and to bar the defendants from recognizing these members.

The plaintiffs claim that the election, conducted on May 28, proceeded despite the ongoing legal dispute, and that the VC is intimidating them for seeking legal redress. Justice Ekwo has instructed the defendants to be notified of the motion within three days and to show cause on June 13 as to why the plaintiffs' requests should not be granted.