Tension Deepens in MOUAU VC Selection Saga as DSS Invites Four Abia Staff Over Alleged Protest Plot

…as Controversy Intensifies Over Demand for Transparency and Push for an Abia Indigene to Emerge as Next Vice Chancellor

The ongoing process for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor for the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) has assumed a more dramatic dimension following the reported invitation of four staff members by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Umuahia on Monday over alleged plans to stage a protest.

According to reports, the affected staff members, including the Chairman of Abia Staff in MOUAU, were summoned and questioned after the security agency claimed it received intelligence suggesting that a protest was being arranged to take place at noon on Monday within the institution or its environs.

The dramatic development occurred only hours after the Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, allegedly issued a directive during a council meeting on Saturday, instructing the university management to probe an interest group that recently demanded transparency and integrity in the ongoing Vice Chancellor selection exercise.

The four invited officers were reportedly among those advocating fairness and openness in the process, which is expected to reach its final stage next month. At their regular monthly gathering, the group also expressed the need for the university to give consideration to an Abia indigene for the prestigious position, citing similar precedence in other public institutions across the country.

Sources revealed that although the invited staff members could not verify any direct involvement or influence from Comrade Edeh regarding their sudden DSS invitation, they appealed to the security agency to thoroughly investigate the source of the information, warning that such individuals may be acting to instigate unnecessary crises within the university community.

One of the invited staff who spoke with the correspondent said the DSS officials issued them a cautionary advisory to avoid actions or engagements that could be interpreted as divisive, politically motivated, or capable of threatening institutional peace, especially as the Vice Chancellor selection enters a sensitive stage.

In what appeared to be a swift backlash, another Abia staff member who was not among those invited, but chose to speak anonymously for fear of victimization, accused the Governing Council Chairman of being behind the move. The staff member described the incident as an infringement on constitutional rights, stressing that freedom of expression and peaceful association are guaranteed under the law.

“We didn’t commit any crime by demanding transparency in the selection process of a new Vice Chancellor.

“We also didn’t commit any crime by asking that an Abia indigene be considered for the position, as is done elsewhere. Anyone pushing for our arrest must have something to hide,” the anonymous staff alleged.

Further information revealed that the Abia staff meeting scheduled for noon which may have been misinterpreted as a civil demonstration was later shifted to 4 p.m. to avoid further misunderstanding.

Attempts by journalists to reach the MOUAU Governing Council Chairman for clarification were unsuccessful, while the outgoing Vice Chancellor was said to be out of the state on official engagement.

It would be recalled that just last week, a socio-political interest group known as the Abia Democratic Alliance issued a public statement also demanding credibility, transparency, and due process in the selection of the next Vice Chancellor. The group alleged that Comrade Edeh may already be working to impose a preferred candidate on the university.

As tension thickens and new allegations emerge, the university community, stakeholders, and the general public are keenly watching to see how events unfold in what is becoming one of the most controversial Vice Chancellor selection processes in the institution’s history.