UNILAG VC files suit challenging removal

 

Embattled Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has headed to court over his purported removal from office by the Chief Wale Babalakin (SAN)-led Governing Council.

Ogundipe reportedly briefed leading constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) to head to court and challenge his alleged illegal removal from office. .

In an extraordinary development, the council headed by Babalakin, had allegedly sacked the VC at an emergency meeting at the National Universities Commission (NUC) Abuja on Wednesday.

Ogundipe argued the Council breached all known rules of natural justice and section 36 of the 1999 Constitution in purportedly removing him as VC, as he was never heard at all or ever made to face any panel or Committee to defend himself against allegations of unauthorised expenditure of university funds leading to his purported removal from office, TheNation writes.

Ozekhome, in a statement on Thursday, said his client believed the emergency meeting at which he was purportedly removed was premeditatedly done with a view to sack the VC.

He urged all “stakeholders of UNILAG and the general public to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting vice Chancellor of UNILAG. Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who he said still remains the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos”.

He noted that UNILAG Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has joined the fray on the side of the embattled Vice Chancellor, saying it was “seriously amused by Dr Wale Babalakin’s charade which purportedly removed the Vice Chancellor of our great University, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.”