May 26, 2019 will remain evergreen in the minds of Hon Innocent Eke, (Obilumba) as he managed to escape the wrath of the workers of the Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo who were poised to vent their anger on him for failure to allow the newly appointed Rector, Dr Kingsley Ikebudi take over as the substantive Rector of the institution.
Trumpeta learnt that when Okorocha dropped the idea of removing Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo for the establishment of Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental, a new Rector Ikebudi was appointed to replace the outgoing Rev Fr Wence Madu who has spent 8 years.
However, Trumpeta learnt that the outgoing Rector, working in concert with some of the council members including the council chairmen opted to frustrate the new Rector from resuming at the institution.
In the process, the council members plotted to keep the new Rector out and allow Fr Madu continue, which didn’t go down well with the entire workers.
On getting wind of this development, the workers arranged and besieged the council chambers and got hold of the chairman Eke, who already started panting for breath.
A terrified Eke could not help but agree to allow the new Rector function. The crowd enveloped him and was about to attack before the council chairman begged for leniency while shaking and sweating profusely after he had been held hostage for hours, Eke begged for a paper to write an undertaking agreeing to allow the new Rector assume duties.
In a related development, the Academic staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP has demanded for a panel of visitation to ascertain the activities of Fr Madu.
The call was made by ASUP chairman of Imo Poly, Dr Echeta in a radio program.
Dr Echeta said that it has been a culture enshrined in Imopoly laws for a visitation panel to probe activities of the institution after five years.
According to Echeta who has led his members to go on strike to protest non- payment of five months salary arrears, “We want to urge the new governor to set up a visitation panel to the Imo State Poly as enshrined in the law. The last time a visitation panel came to the school was in 2019. Since Fr Madu took charge in 2011, no panel has visited the school till date”.
