BY VINVENT UJUMADU

AWKA—THE race for the  next vice chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has taken a new dimension with three aspirants for the exalted position protesting the modalities adopted by the governing council in scoring them.

Vanguard gathered yesterday that those who have submitted their petitions to the chairman of the governing council, Air Vice Marshall Larry Koinyan (rtd), include the provost of the College of Medicine, Professor Clement Ezechukwu, a professor of Accounting, Benjamin Osisioma, and another professor at the Awka campus of the university.

Essentially, the aspirants are complaining that the selection committee headed by the chairman of the governing council jettisoned the guidelines stipulated during the executive session of the council on April 24.

At that session, it was agreed that no mark or score adjusted for any candidate should be allowed at any point in time and that where total marks by individual candidates were the same, they should carry the same ranking order and have the same recommendation.

It was also agreed that the shortlist committee should not make or apply any procedure outside the guidelines which can detract or derogate the overall aims and objectives of the entire process.

But the petitioners argued that the laid down procedure was not followed due to what they described as vested interests by some members of the selection committee, adding that the right thing to do was to start the entire process afresh.

At the Awka campus of the university yesterday, tension was  high and the issue of the appointment of the new VC dominated discussions among lecturers.

Some of the lecturers said they would not accept any move to foist an unpopular person as the next VC of the university.