YENAGOA — Efforts to resolve the industrial dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Bayelsa State Polytechnic Chapter, and the institution’s Governing Council have again ended without agreement, raising the likelihood of a strike by academic staff.
The latest meeting between ASUP and a sub-committee of the Governing Council on Monday ended in a deadlock, with both sides maintaining their positions.
In a statement issued to members, ASUP Chapter General Secretary, Comrade Tonprebofa Andrew Nemine, said neither the union nor the Governing Council’s sub-committee made any concessions during the discussions.
He said the union’s 14-day ultimatum remains in force and is scheduled to expire on Friday, August 7, 2026. According to him, academic staff will withdraw their services if the dispute is not resolved before the deadline.
The disagreement centres on the purported reappointment of former Rector, Dr. Wisdom Clinton Soreh, who retired from the service of the institution in February 2024 after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 65.
ASUP alleged that the Governing Council acted outside its powers and accused it of attempting to legitimise the reappointment by backdating the decision to a period when Dr. Mrs. Eremasi Yaguo Ikele was already serving as Acting Rector.
The union argued that the alleged backdating was intended to create the impression that there was no Acting Rector at the time, thereby undermining Dr. Ikele’s tenure and contributions to the institution.
ASUP further maintained that the Bayelsa State Polytechnic Establishment Law, 2014, does not empower the Governing Council to appoint a substantive Rector. According to the union, the Council’s role is limited to recommending three qualified candidates to the Visitor after a competitive selection process.
The union also claimed that the current Governing Council is the first in the country’s history to recommend a retiree for appointment as Rector, describing the action as inconsistent with due process and capable of setting a dangerous precedent.
It noted that no state-owned tertiary institution in Bayelsa is headed by a retired officer and insisted it would resist any attempt to introduce such a practice at the Polytechnic.
With negotiations stalled, the industrial dispute appears set to escalate. ASUP said its National Body has directed the Chapter Chairman, Dr. Oyin-Emi Frank Ogbomah, to mobilise members for a peaceful protest, to be followed by an indefinite strike beginning on Monday, August 10, if the issues remain unresolved.
The Governing Council had not issued an official response to the union’s latest claims as of the time of filing this report.
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