Adeleke under fire over ‘illegal’ extension of Osun varsity VC’s tenure

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has come under criticism after extending the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Clement Adebooye, by two years.

Mr Adeleke announced the extension on Monday, 31 August, during the inauguration of the university’s reconstituted Governing Council at the Government House in Osogbo.

The governor said the decision was taken in the interest of continuity and to prevent a leadership vacuum at the university. The university also said Mr Adebooye had initially declined the extension before accepting it after further consultations.

However, the decision has triggered questions over whether the governor could extend the tenure under the existing law establishing the university.

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The UNIOSUN establishment law provides that the Vice-Chancellor “shall hold office for a term of five (5) years, and shall not be eligible for re-appointment.”

Mr Adebooye assumed office in January 2022, indicating that his original five-year tenure would ordinarily expire in January 2027.

Assembly moves to amend law after Adeleke’s extension

The controversy over the legality of the VC’s tenure extension has now spilled into the Osun State House of Assembly, which has commenced moves to amend the law establishing UNIOSUN.

The Speaker of the House, Adewale Egbedun, disclosed the move during plenary on Wednesday following the receipt of a letter from Mr Adeleke dated 27 July seeking an amendment to the university’s establishment law.

The proposed amendment seeks, among other things, to provide a framework that would allow the two-year extension of the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure. It also contains provisions on grants and scholarships for students of the university.

“The proposed legislation would also strengthen public interest in the university and support its continued development,” the speaker said.

The bill passed second reading after lawmakers argued that the university had recorded significant development under Mr Adebooye and that extending his tenure would provide continuity, improve staff welfare and strengthen the institution’s academic environment.

However, critics argue that Mr Adeleke’s extension raises a fundamental legal and governance question: whether the governor could first announce an extension that appears inconsistent with the existing law and then seek legislative amendment to accommodate it.

‘Governor can’t give what the law does not provide’

Olatunji Abanikannda, an academic in a detailed commentary titled “The Unlawful Gift: Tenure, Grace, and the Limits of What an Enabling Law Can Give,” criticised the governor’s decision.

Mr Abanikannda argued that Mr Adeleke’s authority over the university does not permit him to override the tenure provisions contained in the institution’s enabling law.

He noted that the governor himself disclosed that Mr Adebooye had initially not consented to the extension, arguing that the vice-chancellor’s reluctance was an indication that the decision required greater scrutiny.

“A term cannot be lengthened by ceremonial announcement any more than it could be shortened by one via executive fiat,” Mr Abanikannda said.

“A Visitor who purports to grant two additional years is attempting to give what the law, as written, does not appear to have placed in his gift,” he added.

According to him, if the existing law fixes the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure at five years without reappointment, the proper route to changing that provision is legislative amendment rather than an executive announcement.

He also warned that allowing tenure to be extended through discretion of the governor could weaken the independence of university governance and create a precedent for future Visitors to treat statutory provisions as negotiable.

Ismail Omipidan, an Abuja-based media consultant, questioned the move to amend the law specifically to accommodate the two-year extension by Mr Adeleke.

Mr Omipidan recalled that Mr Adebooye emerged as vice-chancellor in 2022 after a competitive selection process under former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

He said the process demonstrated that merit could prevail when political office holders allowed university governance structures to operate without interference.

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Mr Omipidan urged Mr Adebooye to reject the extension, arguing that accepting it could undermine the reputation he built during his first term.

“Even if Professor Adebooye did not lobby for it, the mere fact that the law is being amended just to allow him to spend seven years in office instead of the five provided for under the existing law should give him serious cause for reflection and walk away,” he said.

He also warned that the controversy could create tension within the university community and urged stakeholders in Osun to oppose what he described as an attempt to undermine the institution’s governing framework.

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