Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Nigeria, Nsukka  (UNN) Chapter has dissociates them themselves from the planned Deanship election in the University scheduled to start from Monday July 6th.
Comrade Christian Opata the chairman of ASUU – UNN  said this on Friday in Nsukka while briefing Newsmen over happenings in the university, stressing that the decision of UNN to hold deanship election and staff appraisal meeting during ASUU strike was inimical, sabotage and attempt to blackmail ASUU-UNN
He said that due to the ongoing ASUU nation wide strike a total of eight conferences that were due to hold in the university were postponed in the spirit of the struggle.
He warned their members against sabotaging the union or participating in the election or other academic activities pending when they will call off their nation wide strike.
According to him, “ASUU-UNN participated in the last National Executive Council meeting of our union at Enugu and never for once opposed the decision of the NEC to embark on a total, comperhensiv and indefinite strike.
“The University administration lured by the antics of those that are not part of the union in May this year advertised for Deanship election and in June came up with and advert for staff appraisals meeting.
“The planned election and staff  appraisals meeting schedule to hold at a time ASUU is on strike negates the spirit of the unions struggle even when these planned activities are only experienced in UNN.
“The union on the 23rd of June wrote the university administration requesting her to stay action on the planned activities pending the suspension of the strike action, we are yet to receive any reply from the University administration.
“I thereby urged our members to abstain from the planned academic  activities as such would portray ASUU-UNN in bad light and may earn her another suspension from the National body,” he said.
The ASUU  said that the union had during their expanded executives branch meeting held last Wednesday resolved that “members who participated in the election will be sanctioned in line with the provisions of our constitution.
“In the event the university administration not listening and reasoning along the line of our appeals and proceeded with the already scheduled activities, the branch would mobilize it’s members to disrupt the election in all the venues as well all Faculty appraisal meetings.”
He however, maintained that ASUU members in UNN are committed to the struggle by the union to reposition university education in Nigeria.
When contacted, the Vice Chancellor of UNN Prof. Charles Igwe said that he was under obligation to release the time-table for the election of new deans as the tenure of present ones are about to expire.
“I have done my own part as the VC by releasing time-table for the election and other activities in the university, I will not force any ASUU members  to participate or not to participate in the election,” he said