COOU VC Dispute: Odinkalu Berates Mgt, Anambra Gov’t Over Litigation Gymnastics
Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), has accused the Anambra Government and the university management of colluding to undermine an ongoing legal challenge over the appointment of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor.
Odinkalu, a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, who was Chairman of the Council that conducted the VC recruitment exercise made the allegations in a post on his verified social media platform amid growing controversy surrounding the leadership of the university.
The legal scholar said issues raised recently by the Anambra Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, regarding his tenure as Chairman of the university’s Governing Council were already the subject of litigation before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
According to him, he is one of the defendants in the suit, alongside Anambra Gov. Chukwuma Soludo, the state’s Attorney-General, the university and its Governing Council.
Odinkalu alleged that after entering appearance in the matter, the state government and university authorities procured a judgment from an Anambra State High Court in Otuocha in a manner designed to circumvent the proceedings already pending before the National Industrial Court.
He claimed that the plaintiff in the Otuocha case was not an applicant for the Vice-Chancellor position and had no direct stake in the appointment process.
“The State High Court knows the matter is not one over which it has jurisdiction,” he said.
He questioned both the competence and speed with which the case was determined.
He further alleged that the suit was filed on Sept. 15, 2025, and judgment delivered on Sept. 26, 2025, a period he described as unusually swift.
“The judgment could not have been more favourable if it was written by a party to the proceedings,” he stated.
Odinkalu said the development convinced him that he was facing an uneven contest but declined to elaborate further, citing respect for the ongoing judicial process.
He maintained that, unlike public officials commenting on the dispute, he would refrain from discussing the substantive issues until the court proceedings are concluded.
Odinkalu, however indicated that he would, at the appropriate time, respond comprehensively to what he described as actions taken by those behind the controversy.
The dispute is the latest twist in the prolonged controversy surrounding the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of COOU, a process that has generated legal battles, political exchanges and intense public scrutiny.
As of press time, the Anambra State Government and the management of COOU had not officially responded to Odinkalu’s allegations.