The ambition of Prof. Patrick Linus Akpan to succeed the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, appears to have finally collided with an immovable brick wall, as fresh documents, accreditation remarks, and internal testimonies reveal that the candidate being aggressively pushed by the outgoing administration is fundamentally unqualified, administratively unprepared, and ethically compromised. What began as a carefully choreographed succession plan has now unraveled into a scandalous dead end, exposing deep fractures within the institution.
Insiders say the first crack appeared when it became clear that Prof. Akpan is not even a fully regularized staff of the University. A senior Registry official confirmed that his employment documentation was only submitted a few days ago and is still pending. “He is not yet a fully regularized member of this University,” the official disclosed. “The system cannot, and will not, place someone whose appointment is incomplete at the head of the institution.” That revelation, which stunned several Senate members, signaled what many now describe as the beginning of the collapse of the succession project; even though the outgoing VC, Prof Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, out of desperation, had appointed the said Prof. Akpan as the Provost of an ill-conceived University of Uyo School of Business.
The more the documents surfaced, the clearer it became that the outgoing VC’s effort to impose Akpan had reached its limit. The next blow came from the academic credentials (perhaps the most embarrassing of all). An internal accreditation remark scribbled boldly on his file captured the core of the problem: “No first degree in the focus area!” His CV corroborates the damning assessment. Instead of an undergraduate degree, it lists only diplomas and postgraduate diplomas, with no B.Sc. in sight. A lecturer in the Business Management faculty stated that the last NUC accreditation team outrightly rejected his CV because it showed no foundational training whatsoever. “They said such a profile was not acceptable even for a lecturer, not to talk of a professor,” the lecturer recalled. That rejection, once quietly buried, has now resurfaced with full force, further sealing the fate of Akpan’s ambition.
Yet another barrier appeared when staff involved in vetting the files discovered that Prof. Akpan has no NYSC history (no participation, no exemption, no exclusion letter). A senior administrator recounted that his earlier academic journey was made of cut-and-join programs from the 80s and 90s, with no evidence of national service. Legally, this alone disqualifies him from holding public office. “We can’t bend federal law for one person,” a senior official remarked. “At this point, the process simply cannot proceed with him.” The situation has now boxed the project into a corner from which it cannot reasonably escape.
The most decisive blow, however, came not from paperwork but from conduct. Among the documents reviewed by top members of Senate is a petition written by a student, Ukeme Solomon, alleging continual sexual advances by Prof. Akpan while he served as her project supervisor. “I am finding it difficult to work with him based on his continual sexual advances to me,” the student wrote in her petition dated 10th October 2023. The Head of Department did not dismiss her claim but instead approved her reassignment, writing on the document that the change was based on the allegation of sexual harassment. A staff familiar with the matter confirmed that Akpan was quietly removed as a supervisor thereafter. Once this file resurfaced during scrutiny, insiders say it became “the final nail in the coffin.”
According to a senior academic who has witnessed the unfolding drama, “At this point, no amount of pressure, manipulation, or committee-reshuffling can make this fly. The wall has risen too high.” Another source noted that the outgoing Vice Chancellor had attempted to plant junior lecturers into key selection panels, but even that tactic has collapsed under the weight of the emerging revelations. “This project has hit a brick wall. There is nowhere left to push,” the source stated emphatically.
Within the University, the atmosphere has shifted. What initially appeared to be a seamless handover now lies in ruins. Staff who were once silent have begun to speak openly about their shock. Many say the University barely escaped what would have been an unprecedented national embarrassment—installing an individual with no first degree, no NYSC record, an unregularized appointment, and a documented sexual harassment case as Vice Chancellor.
As things stand, the once carefully guarded succession plan has ground to a stop. The internal consensus is that the institution cannot move forward with Prof. Patrick Akpan in the race. In the words of one senior administrator, “The University of Uyo has spoken: This candidacy has reached its final limit.”
