All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun state has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of terminating the appointments of principal officers of the University of Ilesa made by his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola.

Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, announced the appointment of Prof. Taiwo Asaolu from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the university, while Mr. Funso Ojo was named the Registrar, Dr. Mukaila Oyekanmi as the Bursar, and Mr. Adewale Ogunsipe as the Liberian.

However, the acting Osun APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement obtained in Osogbo, insisted that Oyetola, before leaving office, had appointed Prof. Kayode Ijaduola as the VC of the university, while Mr. Oluwole Dada and Dr. Adedokun Ojelabi were appointed as the Registrar and Liberian respectively.

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Lawal alleged that Adeleke had sacked the principal officers appointed by his predecessor and described the move as “reckless” and “an apparent show of bitterness and debilitating struggle to rubbish the legacy of his predecessor simply because they share different political ideals.”

Lawal further stated that the appointment of the new principal officers of the University of Ilesa was illegal, as the university was created by law and the removal of tenured principal officers without the recommendation of the Governing Council was against the established process. He criticized the Adeleke administration for lacking governance basics and stated that history would not be fair to those who supported the administration’s actions.

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In response to the APC’s allegations, Rasheed said that the appointments were part of Adeleke’s promise to nurture a sustainable tertiary institution for the Ijesa people. He stated that the new appointments received applause across Ijesaland and assured that the recommendations of the erstwhile Review Committee would be implemented under the leadership of Prof. Asaolu, who chaired the review panel.

Rasheed commended the leaders and people of Ijeshaland for their patience and acceptance of the government’s decisions and urged all stakeholders to cooperate with the new Vice Chancellor as he works towards the sustainable take-off of the university.

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The disagreement between the APC and the Adeleke administration over the appointment of principal officers at the university has raised legal and governance concerns, and the situation remains unresolved.