YENAGOA – The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Bayelsa State Polytechnic, Aleibiri Chapter, has declared that it will not back down on its planned industrial action over the reappointment of the institution’s retired Rector, Dr. Wisdom Collins Soreh, by the newly inaugurated Governing Council.
The union said the strike ultimatum remains in force despite an invitation from the Governing Council for a meeting scheduled for Friday, expressing hope that the dialogue would provide an opportunity to resolve the dispute.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the Niger Delta Herald, the Secretary of ASUP, Tonprebofa Nemine, confirmed that the union had been invited by the institution’s Registrar to meet with the Governing Council.
“For now, there has been no invitation from the government,” Nemine said. “But this morning I got a call from the Registrar of our Polytechnic informing us that the Governing Council wants to meet with us on Friday.”
He, however, maintained that the union’s position had not changed, stressing that the planned strike remained on course.
“The ultimatum still stands,” he declared.
Nemine explained that the dispute centres on the reappointment of Dr. Wisdom Soreh, who, according to him, retired from the service of the institution in 2024 before completing his tenure as Rector.
“A retired staff as our Rector has never been done before and should never be done,” he stated.
According to the ASUP secretary, the newly inaugurated Governing Council was informed immediately after its inauguration that Dr. Soreh had already retired and that his tenure as Rector officially ended on June 19.
“They were newly inaugurated and we immediately interfaced with them,” he said. “A day after they were inaugurated, we informed them that the man retired in 2024. We allowed him to complete the remaining two years of his tenure because we wanted industrial peace in the institution, since his appointment came from the Governor.”
He added that the union formally wrote to the council, attaching relevant documents to support its position and urging the members to direct Dr. Soreh to hand over to the most senior officer in line with the provisions guiding the administration of polytechnics while the process of appointing a substantive Rector commenced.
“We wrote to them, attaching all the necessary documents, but they still went ahead and did what they had in mind,” Nemine alleged. “I think it was a deliberate attempt by the Governing Council to do what they felt they were compromised to do.”
ASUP has consistently argued that the continued retention of a retired officer as Rector violates established regulations governing polytechnic administration and could expose the institution to sanctions from the union’s national body.
The union had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Bayelsa State Government and the Governing Council to reverse the appointment, warning that failure to do so would trigger an indefinite strike capable of disrupting academic activities at the institution.
The meeting scheduled for Friday is expected to provide the first formal engagement between the Governing Council and ASUP since the dispute escalated.