Take-It-Back Lambasts Governor Adeleke Over UNIOSUN Vice-Chancellor’s Two-Year Extension | Sahara Reporters

Adebooye, who assumed office as Vice-Chancellor in January 2022, is expected to complete his initial five-year tenure in January 2027.

The Take It Back Movement (TIB), Osun State Chapter, has strongly condemned Governor Ademola Adeleke’s approval of a two-year tenure extension for the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Prof. Clement Adebooye, describing the decision as an “abuse of the establishment act of the university.”

The Osun State Coordinator of TIB, Comrade Victor Abiodun Lijofi, in a statement issued on Friday, accused the governor of disregarding the law governing the university.

Adebooye, who assumed office as Vice-Chancellor in January 2022, is expected to complete his initial five-year tenure in January 2027.

However, Adeleke approved a two-year extension that would keep the VC in office until January 2029.

Reacting to the development, Lijofi said the governor’s decision was unacceptable, noting that it amounted to a violation of the law establishing the institution.

“Someone should tell Governor Adeleke that this is an abuse of the establishment act of the university and it is not acceptable,” Lijofi said.

The TIB coordinator also accused Adeleke of demonstrating that Nigeria’s political parties offer little difference in the way public institutions are managed.

“Governor Adeleke keeps showing that there is no difference between the Nigerian ruling class organised in any political party,” he added.

The controversy followed Adeleke’s dissolution and reconstitution of the Governing Council of the university.

On Friday, August 28, 2026, the governor dissolved the existing Governing Council and immediately constituted a new one, saying the action was aimed at strengthening the governance structure of the institution and ensuring continuity in its administration.

It was after the inauguration of the new council at the Osun State Government House in Osogbo that Adeleke approved the extension of Adebooye’s tenure.

According to a statement issued by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, the governor said the extension was necessary to maintain stability and prevent an administrative vacuum at the institution.

But the decision has triggered criticism within sections of the university community, with critics questioning its compatibility with the provisions of the Osun State University (Establishment) Law, 2006.

The law provides in the First Schedule that, “The Vice-Chancellor shall be appointed or be removed by the Visitor upon consultation with the Council. The tenure of the Vice-Chancellor shall be one term of five years.”

The provisions have raised questions over whether the governor’s powers as Visitor to appoint or remove the Vice-Chancellor extend to unilaterally approving an additional two years beyond the five-year tenure expressly provided by the law.

Critics are also questioning why the statutory process for appointing a successor was not initiated ahead of the expiration of Adebooye’s tenure in January 2027.

Under Paragraph 5 of the First Schedule to the law, the Governing Council is required to advertise the vacancy in a reputable journal or widely read newspaper in Nigeria.

The advertisement is expected to specify the qualifications and qualities required of applicants, as well as the terms and conditions of service.

The Council is subsequently expected to shortlist suitable candidates for consideration.

Some members of the university community have consequently questioned the decision to extend the incumbent Vice-Chancellor’s tenure rather than commence the statutory process for selecting a successor.

A source within the university told journalists that the development has generated anger on campus, particularly because of the simultaneous dissolution of the previous council.

“There is anger on campus regarding the extension of tenure of the Vice Chancellor while other council members were sacked,” the source said.

A former UNIOSUN Alumni executive also questioned the legality of the extension, insisting that decisions concerning the institution must be guided by its establishing law.

“There is a law that established the University, any action that ought to be taken should be taken in cognizance of the law but this is not the case in the instance of the extension,” the former alumni executive said.

Another staff member alleged that the extension could have been politically motivated.

“They are using the extension as compensation for loyalty but that’s not what the law says,” the staff member alleged.

The controversy has placed Adeleke’s decision under increased scrutiny, with critics demanding that the governor explain the legal basis for extending Adebooye’s tenure from five years to seven years.

At the centre of the dispute is the interpretation of the Visitor’s powers under the 2006 Establishment Law and whether those powers permit the governor to extend a Vice-Chancellor’s tenure beyond the single five-year term prescribed by the legislation.

TIB said the development was part of a wider pattern in which Nigeria’s political class allegedly places political considerations above statutory rules governing public institutions.

Lijofi maintained that the extension was unacceptable and called for greater respect for laws establishing public institutions.

The group argued that public officials should not take actions capable of undermining statutory procedures, institutional independence and accountability.

The controversy has intensified as members of the university community and other stakeholders continue to question whether the two-year extension complies with the Osun State University (Establishment) Law, 2006.