The dispute centres on the findings of a five-man investigative panel, inaugurated on 26 June 2025 and chaired by Barr. Olugbenga Kukoyi, Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka. The committee concluded that “due process was strictly followed” in Lemchi’s appointment and claimed overwhelming support from the four staff unions within the university.
ASUU, however, alleges the panel sidestepped key legal and procedural requirements. According to the union, the committee’s reliance on staff union support as a “strong base” for its decision was fundamentally flawed, since such unions are not members of the University Council—the statutory authority empowered to appoint a Vice-Chancellor under the University (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 and its subsequent amendments.
“The panel’s work is half-baked and biased. None of the petitioners or interviewed professors was invited for cross-examination, yet Dr Lemchi was,” the statement read.
The union further criticised what it called “premature interference” in the tenure of Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Onyeka Aloysius Chijioke, whose appointment was cut short on 22 July 2025, ahead of its scheduled 8 August 2025 conclusion.
Other grievances include:
Failure of the Presidency to communicate the Ministry of Education’s earlier correspondence on the matter.
Non-conclusion of the House Committee on University Education’s hearing before Lemchi’s reinstatement.
Alleged irregularities in Lemchi’s promotion to professor at Imo State University (IMSU).
The claim that Lemchi’s appointment letters bore salary grade levels, contradicting her assertion of a pro-bono arrangement.
ASUU insists that the Honourable Minister of Education was correct to have initially voided Lemchi’s appointment in line with his April 7, 2025, policy statement to “strengthen integrity in the selection of Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts.” However, the union says the minister was “wrong and inconsistent” in later reinstating her without addressing the irregularities.
The statement closes with a pointed warning:
Justice denied today cannot be denied tomorrow.”
The controversy now hangs over the university’s leadership, with potential implications for governance standards in Nigeria’s higher education sector. Observers await whether the Federal House of Representatives’ ongoing inquiry will unravel the matter-or deepen the rift