From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
A fresh crisis rocked the Kaduna Polytechnic chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) on Monday, as a group of the Union members passed a vote of no confidence on the Chapter Chairman, Engr. Abubakar Abdullahi, over the controversial sales of some of the Polytechnic’s staff quarters.
The ASUP group led by Dr. Shedrack Audu accused the ASUP Chairman of violating the Regular Congress Resolution of 21st November, 2022, which appointed Ahmed Ahmed & Co as the solicitor of the Chapter, alleging that, the chapter chairman in a unilateral decision decided to appoint a different solicitor to handle a court case instituted against some bona fide and financial members of the union.
But the Chairman in a swift reaction said, while he is constrained to comment on the sales of the Polytechnic’s property, which is the bone of contention, because the matter is in court, the group lack the power to pass a verdict on his chairmanship.
Addressing journalists earlier, shortly after a meeting of the group, Dr. Audu said, the ASUP Chairman, “Engr. Abubakar J. Abdullahi equally violated the Emergency Congress Resolution of the 6th December 2022. At this meeting, a resolution rejecting the sale of Kaduna Polytechnic Government Quarters was held. However, the resolution did not request the Union Executive to file a court case in any law court against its members (Appendix 2, Resolution 8). But the union chapter chairman in his wisdom decided to file a case against its members at the Federal High Court, Kaduna with respect to the sale of the said quarters.
“Engr. Abubakar J. Abdullahi lied under Oath with respect to the Case Filed and Titled “The Registered Trustees of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna Chapter
There is no such registered trustee of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics much less Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna Chapter (Appendix 3). When the case was mentioned in the court, the KPT Union Chairman identifies himself as ASUP KPT Chapter Chairman to represent the said Trustee of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics.
“Also, noncompliance with the written directives from the ASUP national body of the KPT chapter to withdraw the case it instituted against its members of the Federal High Court, Kaduna. As a result of his non-compliance with the directive from the National body to immediately withdraw such case from the court, this chapter is facing a risk of heavy sanctions from the National body which would not be too palatable for this local chapter and we would want to avoid it.
“It is in view of the above mentioned violations by the chairman that the Congress met and passed a vote of no confidence on him. This is also expedient in order to forestall the breakdown of peace and industrial harmony enjoyed presenting by the Institution and Kaduna state at large, because there is a burning tension and the bubble which could burst at any time from now,” Dr. Audu said.
Meanwhile, when contacted for his reaction, the ASUP Chairman said, the group had not spoken to the union, adding that, “even as we cannot deny their membership. They have spoken for their vested interests as occupiers of the staff quarters that our Congress passed a resolution not to be sold. The same resolution has since been validated by our supervising Ministry, concurrently.”
