Osun govt reacts to pro-chancellors committee’s criticisms over UNIOSUN VC’s tenure extension controversy

The Osun State Government has rejected the characterisation of the extension of the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Clement Adebooye, as illegal, saying the committee’s position requires further legal clarification.

The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) had questioned the two-year extension of Mr Adebooye’s tenure, arguing that his statutory five-year term could not be extended through an executive pronouncement by Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is the university’s visitor.

The committee said the extension was contrary to the existing legal framework and urged Mr Adeleke to comply with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2012, as amended. It also called on the university’s pro-chancellor to uphold due process.

However, in a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Alimi, the state government said COPSUN’s position appeared to be based on an incomplete understanding of the constitutional and legislative framework governing the state-owned university.

The government said UNIOSUN was established under an Osun State law enacted by the House of Assembly in 2006, arguing that the existence of federal regulatory powers over universities does not automatically transfer statutory governance of a state-owned university to federal authorities.

It said the central legal question was whether the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act, 2012, applied to UNIOSUN in a manner capable of overriding its enabling state law.

“While the constitutional principle of a valid federal law prevails over an inconsistent state law to the extent of the inconsistency, it is maintained that the constitutional competence and scope of the federal enactment must first be established,” the statement read.

The position marks the latest development in the controversy surrounding Mr Adebooye’s tenure, which began after Governor Adeleke announced in August during the inauguration of the university’s reconstituted Governing Council in Osogbo that the Vice-Chancellor would remain in office for an additional two years after his initial tenure expires in January 2027.

The governor later said the extension would take effect from 4 January 2027 and had been backed by an amendment to the Osun State University Establishment Law passed by the State House of Assembly.

Extension backed by legislative action – Osun govt

While there have been criticisms over the VC’s tenure extension attempts by Mr Adeleke, Mr Alimi said with the Osun State University Establishment Law passed, it is inaccurate to portray the tenure extension as a unilateral executive action by Mr Adeleke.

Mr Adeleke had previously justified the extension on the grounds of continuity and the university’s development under Mr Adebooye, citing infrastructure, student enrolment, medical education, staff welfare and other achievements.

“The governor had also publicly explained at the University’s 16th Convocation that the extension followed consultations and legislative action concerning the University’s enabling law,” he said.

Mr Alimi said the State House of Assembly had considered and passed the Osun State University Establishment Amendment Bill 2026, which altered the legal framework governing the institution.

The House passed the bill after clause-by-clause consideration in September, paving the way for its transmission to the governor for assent.

The government said the legislative action was significant because the Visitor could not amend legislation through an executive declaration, just as COPSUN or any other professional body could not legislate through a public statement.

“The relevant issue is therefore whether the legislative process undertaken by the State House of Assembly and the subsequent statutory arrangements are constitutionally and legally valid,” the government said.

It added that the existing tenure of Mr Adebooye remains valid until January 2027 and that the proposed additional tenure would commence on 4 January 2027.

The government therefore argued that the arrangement did not retrospectively alter a tenure that had already expired.

COPSUN raises broader concerns

COPSUN’s objection followed its 73rd quarterly meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State where the committee raised broader concerns about university governance and what it described as increasing interference by professional regulatory bodies.

On UNIOSUN, the committee said it received a report that Mr Adebooye’s statutory five-year tenure had been extended by two years through an executive pronouncement by the Visitor.

It questioned the legality of subsequently amending the university law to accommodate the extension and urged the governor to adhere to the existing legal framework.

The committee also cited the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act, 2012, which amended the federal law governing universities and introduced provisions limiting the tenure of principal officers to a single five-year term.

The controversy is rooted in the original UNIOSUN law, which provided that the Vice-Chancellor would hold office for five years and would not be eligible for reappointment.

READ ALSO: Osun Assembly backs Adeleke’s order to establish motor park management system

The state government, however, said the issue could not be resolved simply by citing the federal law without first determining whether the federal enactment applied to UNIOSUN in a manner that displaced provisions of its state enabling law.

Controversy follows earlier objections

The dispute over Mr Adebooye’s tenure had earlier attracted criticism from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which argued that the law under which he was appointed provided for a single five-year term and did not permit an extension.

The union also questioned the decision to amend the law while Mr Adebooye was approaching the end of his original tenure.

Meanwhile the state government insisted on the extension move, saying its decision is guided by university’s governance law and that the state’s House of Assembly had exercised its legislative powers by amending the relevant provisions.

The latest statement from the government now places COPSUN at the centre of the legal disagreement, with the state insisting that the committee’s objection cannot be treated as a final determination of the legality of the extension.