The Federal Government has reinstated Professor Joseph Ikechebelu as the new acting Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK).

In a letter dated November 18, 2024, President Tinubu nullified the controversial appointment of Professor Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh as the seventh substantive Vice-Chancellor.

Odoh’s appointment was deemed illegal as it was carried out by the now-dissolved 10th Governing Council of the university.

The letter instructed Ikechebelu to immediately resume his duties as the acting Vice-Chancellor, effectively restoring him to the position he briefly held earlier this year.

Sani-Gwarzo, in his correspondence, directed Ikechebelu to oversee the administration of the university while forwarding matters requiring council approval to the Minister of Education until a new council is constituted by the President.

This move aims to restore stability to the institution, which has faced governance challenges in recent months.

Professor Joseph Ikechebelu, a renowned scholar and experienced administrator, had initially been appointed as acting Vice-Chancellor in June 2024 but was removed in July by the former Governing Council.

His reinstatement is seen as a step toward addressing leadership disputes and ensuring smooth operations within the university.

In a related development, the Federal Government has also reinstated Victor Modebelu as the Acting Registrar of UNIZIK.

Modebelu previously held this position but was replaced by Rosemary Nwokike, whose appointment as substantive registrar was recently terminated by President Tinubu.

Myson Nejo, the governorship candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ondo State, has spoken out about the issue of vote buying that marred the state’s recent gubernatorial election.

Despite coming in third place with 4,138 votes, Nejo has maintained that his loss was due to his decision to reject the corrupt practice of vote trading.

In a statement made on Sunday, Nejo expressed disappointment over the widespread vote-buying during the election.

He pointed out that candidates who could afford to buy votes from voters were the ones who emerged victorious.

Nejo, however, chose not to engage in such practices, even when faced with pressure to do so.

“I lost the election because I refused to buy votes,” Nejo said.

“But I’m proud of my decision. I didn’t give out any money, and despite that, I still received votes from the people who believed in my vision for Ondo State.

To me, those votes are legitimate and meaningful because they weren’t influenced by money or unethical tactics.”

Nejo revealed the shocking extent of the vote-buying, noting that voters were being offered as much as N20,000 in exchange for their ballots in some areas.

In his polling unit, the going rate was between N10,000 and N15,000.

Nejo explained that, because he refused to take part in these practices, he received very few votes in his unit—just two votes—while his overall tally was a modest 40 votes.

Despite this, he expressed satisfaction with the integrity of his campaign.

“People were asking me for money in exchange for their votes, but I stuck to my principles.

I told them if they wanted to vote, they could do so freely, without expecting anything from me.

I wasn’t going to give a kobo to influence the outcome of the election,” Nejo said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticized the Ondo State governorship election held on Saturday, calling it the worst-ever election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Also, the party expressed deep dissatisfaction with the election’s outcome, stating that it fell far short of the standards expected of a free, fair, and credible poll.

In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, made it clear that the party would conduct a more thorough review of the election results and take appropriate actions to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP will be holding a comprehensive review of the election and its results, and we will take the necessary steps in defence of our democracy,” Ologunagba said.

The PDP also condemned what it described as electoral malpractice, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the system in their favour.

According to Ologunagba, the election was marred by “electoral swindling, deceit, and manipulation,” all orchestrated by the APC to maintain its grip on power.

The party further alleged that the election was plagued by widespread vote-buying, vote-selling, and other forms of electoral manipulation aimed at suppressing the will of the people.

Ologunagba stressed that the actions of the APC were aimed at undermining the genuine aspirations of the voters, calling it a blatant attempt to derail the democratic process.

“The level of vote-buying and monetization we witnessed in this election was unprecedented,” Ologunagba stated.

“This blatant disregard for democratic principles by the APC and its government apparatus is a dangerous trend that threatens the survival of Nigeria’s democracy.”

The PDP has called on both the Nigerian public and the international community to pay attention to the irregularities in the Ondo election, emphasizing the need for serious action to prevent such practices from becoming entrenched in the nation’s electoral system.