NEWS
NOUN Suspends NOUNAA Activities, October 10 Election Over Alleged Certificate Forgery, Racketeering
The management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has suspended the activities of the National Open University of Nigeria Alumni Association (NOUNAA) and halted its October 10, 2026 election following petitions alleging certificate forgery, certificate racketeering and other irregularities within the association.
The university management also directed the current executive committee of NOUNAA to immediately suspend its activities across the national body, state chapters and other arms of the association pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations contained in the petitions.
The development has, however, triggered a fresh dispute between the university management and the NOUNAA leadership, with the association’s National President, Ifeanyi Obukwelu, rejecting the suspension and insisting that the October 10 election would proceed in line with the association’s constitution and the programme released by its Electoral Committee.
The university’s decision was conveyed in a formal letter signed by its Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Oladipo Ajayi, and addressed to Obukwelu.
The letter, obtained by our correspondent over the weekend, carries reference number NOUN/REG/NAA/303/VOL.11/198 and disclosed that the university management considered the petitions during its 124th Regular Meeting held on September 21, 2026.
According to the university, the petitions contained allegations bordering on certificate forgery, certificate racketeering and other issues involving the NOUNAA National President and members of the association’s Executive Committee.
Management further said concerns were raised over the alleged inclusion and participation of individuals who were purportedly not graduates of the university in the activities and affairs of the alumni association.
The petitions reportedly questioned the eligibility of such persons to participate in the association’s electoral and leadership processes, including their right to vote, contest elections and occupy leadership positions. While emphasising that the allegations had not been established as facts, the university said their nature and seriousness required proper investigation before the association could continue with its planned activities.
The letter stated, “Management noted that these are allegations which require proper and impartial examination and determination.
“Management, however, considers that, as the custodian of the University’s institutional integrity and reputation, it has a responsibility to take appropriate administrative measures where matters of such gravity are brought to its attention, rather than allow the situation to continue without appropriate scrutiny.
“Such measures are intended to safeguard the integrity of the institution and the Alumni Association while ensuring that the allegations are subjected to due process and are not treated as established facts before the conclusion of the investigation.”
The university consequently linked the suspension of the October 10 election directly to the need to resolve the issues raised in the petitions before a new executive committee is elected.
Management noted that the election had already been scheduled for October 10, 2026, but maintained that proceeding with the electoral process while serious allegations concerning the eligibility of participants and members of the executive committee remained unresolved could undermine the integrity of the process.
As a result, the university directed that all processes connected to the election be suspended with immediate effect.
The suspension also extends beyond the election itself, as the university ordered the current NOUNAA Executive Committee to suspend its activities across the national body, state chapters and all other arms of the association pending further developments.
The university further announced plans to constitute an investigative committee to examine the allegations contained in the petitions against the national president and members of the executive committee.
The proposed investigation is expected to cover the allegations relating to certificate forgery and certificate racketeering, as well as questions surrounding the eligibility and participation of persons alleged not to be graduates of NOUN in the affairs of the alumni association.
Other issues raised against the executive committee are also expected to be examined by the committee.
In another significant aspect of the directive, the university instructed Obukwelu to cease participating in proceedings of the Governing Council in his capacity as NOUNAA president pending the determination of the matter.
The university said its decision had been communicated to the association for immediate implementation pending further communication.
However, the NOUNAA leadership has refused to accept the suspension as the final word on the association’s October 10 electoral process.
In an internal memo dated September 30, 2026, Obukwelu maintained that the election would proceed despite the university management’s directive.
The memo, with reference number NOUNAA/NEC/23/T/005 and obtained by our correspondent, disclosed that the association had responded to the university through its solicitors.
Obukwelu said the petitions that triggered the university’s intervention were submitted by Uko Iwaudofia, a member of the Board of Trustees and a presidential aspirant in the forthcoming NOUNAA election.
According to the NOUNAA president, the university’s own correspondence acknowledged that the matters contained in the petitions were allegations requiring proper and impartial investigation and should not be treated as established facts.
He therefore questioned the decision to suspend the association’s activities and electoral process before the affected individuals and the association were given what he described as a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations.
The NOUNAA president stated, “NOUNAA is not afraid of transparency, accountability or lawful investigation. What we ask for is fairness, due process and the opportunity for every affected person to be heard.”
According to Obukwelu, the association’s solicitors had argued that the university’s decision appeared to have been reached without giving the affected officers or NOUNAA a fair and reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegations.
He further said the lawyers had restated the legal independence and corporate status of NOUNAA as an Incorporated Trustee under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, as amended.
Obukwelu said the association’s legal representatives had consequently requested that the petitions and all accompanying materials be made available to the affected officers so that they could properly examine the allegations and respond before any definitive administrative action was taken.
He added that the lawyers had appealed to the university management to resolve the dispute amicably, fairly and expeditiously.
The biggest point of contention, however, remains the October 10 election. While the university has ordered an immediate suspension of all electoral activities, Obukwelu maintained that the association’s position was for the electoral process to continue while the issues raised in the petitions were addressed through the appropriate legal and institutional channels.
He stated, “Regarding the 2026 NOUNAA elections, our position, without prejudice to whatever the Electoral Committee may decide based on their preparedness, is that the electoral process shall proceed in accordance with the Association’s Constitution and the programme announced by the duly constituted Electoral Committee, while the issues raised with the University are being addressed through the appropriate legal and institutional channels.”
Obukwelu also maintained that NOUNAA is an independently incorporated body with its own constitutional framework governing its internal administration and electoral affairs.
He argued that the association’s internal governance and elections are regulated by its constitution and applicable laws, suggesting that the university’s intervention should not automatically override the association’s established governance structures.
The disagreement has therefore created an unusual institutional and legal standoff ahead of the scheduled election, with the university insisting on a suspension pending investigation and the association’s leadership maintaining that its electoral programme should continue.
Beyond the immediate election dispute, the controversy has also placed issues of membership eligibility, academic credentials, institutional oversight, corporate independence and due process at the centre of the NOUNAA crisis.
Obukwelu urged members not to allow the disagreement or competing electoral interests to fracture the association, stressing the need for members to pursue their grievances through constitutional and peaceful means.
He stated, “No allegation should be treated as guilt before investigation, and no individual should be denied the opportunity to present his or her case.”
The NOUNAA president further appealed for calm and compliance with the law among members and delegates, urging eligible delegates to participate peacefully and exercise their franchise according to their conscience.
With the October 10 election now at the heart of the dispute, the outcome of the university’s planned investigation and the response of the NOUNAA leadership could determine the next phase of the association’s leadership and governance.
For now, the university’s suspension remains in place, while the NOUNAA leadership maintains that it intends to pursue its position through the association’s constitutional, legal and institutional channels.