Former Chairmen of the chapter, led by Mr Anayo Uhiara, made the request at a news briefing on Wednesday, after staging a solidarity march in Owerri in defence of the embattled rector.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Uhiara was referring to a petition to the Minister of Education, Mr Olatunji Alausa, written by the National President of ASUP, Shamma Kpanja, seeking the nullification of Igbokwe’s appointment as rector.

In the petition, Kpanja hinged his grouse on the “non compliance with set standards” in Igbokwe’s appointment and her “non qualification for the office”.

Uhiara, however, described the petition as “self-serving, clandestine and destructive“.

According to him, Igbokwe‘s appointment was made by President Bola Tinubu in compliance with extant laws.

He further said that Kpanja’s petition did not have the mandate of the ASUP Federal Polytechnic Nekede chapter “and should, therefore, not hold water.

“I have the mandate of our institution’s chapter of ASUP and that of all the past chairmen of the union to urge the Minister of Education to disregard Comrade Shamma Kpanja’s petition as lacking in merit.

“In a recent ASUP congress, we unanimously agreed to embrace the appointment of our rector and give her our unalloyed support, as it meets all necessary requirements and procedures.

“We, therefore, dissociate ourselves from a planned industrial action intended to protest against Igbokwe’s appointment, and insist that the existing peace in our polytechnic must not be jeopardised for self-serving interests,” Uhiara said.

NAN further reports that five of the seven current executive members of the union and former chairmen participated in the solidarity march.

Also in attendance were the leadership of the polytechnic’s Students’ Union Government and leaders of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in the institution, amongst others. (NAN)