…Selection Chairman accused of being biased
The selection process of a Substantive Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri was on Tuesday marred by irregularities allegedly orchestrated by the Council Chairman, Hon. Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh and his members.
It was gathered that prior to the selection process, the Council Chairman, who already had an ulterior motive, brought about fifty armed Police men to protect him and his members.
The Council Chairman who seems to be biased in the selection process, refused to adhere strictly to the extant rules of appointing a Substantive Rector as he brought an unqualified resource person to be part of the process.
Investigation revealed that the Chairman brought the Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, who had barely six months experience as a Rector which is against the rule of the institution in the selection of a Substantive Rector.
It was also gathered that he pinched tent with an unqualified contestant, when some of the contestants brought to the notice of the Council Chairman, that Dr. Basilia Igbokwe is not qualified to contest for the election, he overruled it.
Igbokwe is a Chief Lecturer in English Language and English is not a discipline offered in any Polytechnic including Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri while the rule states that the person contesting for the position of a Substantive Rector must a Chief Lecturer in any discipline offered in the Polythecnic Sector.
It was alleged that the Council Chairman unilaterally generated questions used for the second session of the interview without the selection board members and revealed the answers to his preferred candidate, Dr. Igbokwe.
As a result of these infractions, all the other contestants petitioned the Chairman, condemning the process and pointing out violations in the process.
However, the staff are raging over what they described as a daylight robbery and continued external intrusion in the appointment process of Rector for the Polytechnic while calling on the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene without delay as yet again, the process was abandoned with majority of members of the selection board refusing to collate their results, as well as refusing to sign any report from the tainted process.
Efforts made to hear from the Council Chairman, Hon. Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, was futile, as he was unable to pick up calls put across to him.
