BREAKING: FUOYE SENATE BLOCKS OUTGOING VC’S, PROF. FASINA LAST-MINUTE PUSH TO INSTALL LOYALIST AS DVC

Akin Akinsoluga

The Senate of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) on Tuesday, 28 January, halted what it described as a controversial, last-minute attempt by the outgoing Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Sunday Abayomi Fasina to secure the appointment of a preferred nominee as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), in a development that has intensified scrutiny of governance processes at the university.

The Senate meeting, convened against the backdrop of an imminent leadership transition, was marked by unusually robust debate. According to multiple Senate sources, the VC had forwarded two nominees for the DVC position, in line with statutory provisions. However, the process became contentious when one nominee withdrew, leaving Prof. Babatunde Afolabi as the sole candidate.

Several senators reportedly urged that the process be deferred to allow the incoming vice-chancellor, expected to assume office on 11 February, to make the appointment, citing the narrow time window and the need for institutional continuity. Those appeals were rejected. Sources present at the meeting allege that the outgoing VC responded in a confrontational manner, insisting that he remained the substantive VC and could proceed as he wished.

Tensions escalated further when the registrar attempted to announce Prof. Afolabi as the nominee. Senate members objected strongly, insisting on their right to deliberate and vote, even in a single-candidate scenario. After heated exchanges, the Senate collectively refused to proceed, and the nomination process was suspended.

Beyond the immediate dispute, the episode has reopened broader questions about authority and legitimacy within the university’s administration. Persistent rumours within the university community suggest the existence of dual leadership, with references to both a substantive VC and an acting VC. According to these accounts, the outgoing VC is officially on leave and is therefore unable to sign official documents, with those responsibilities reportedly being carried out by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tajudeen Opoola.

University sources note that, despite this arrangement, the outgoing VC has continued to appear publicly and exercise influence in ways that have blurred administrative lines. Critics argue that this situation has enabled an informal power structure in which decisions are taken without clear accountability. Others allege that internal actors who facilitated or tolerated the arrangement are constrained from addressing it openly, for fear that doing so would expose their own roles in the controversy.

Concerns about unilateral decision-making have also been raised in connection with a recent Appointments and Promotions Committee (A&PC) meeting held on Monday 26, where some promotion cases were reportedly rejected by the majority on administrative and regulatory grounds. Despite this, the VC was said to have later announced the promotions as approved, pending council ratification, fuelling apprehension that a similar approach could be applied to the suspended DVC nomination.

For many observers, the Senate’s intervention represents a significant assertion of academic governance at a sensitive moment for FUOYE. As the university prepares for new leadership, stakeholders say the unfolding situation will test not only procedural compliance but also the integrity and transparency of its decision-making structures.