A dangerous plot to use some former female students to blackmail top contenders in the ongoing race for the Vice Chancellorship of the University of Uyo has been uncovered by our correspondent who has been closely monitoring the power struggle within the institution.
According to credible sources within the university community, some ex-female students have been recruited and promised mouthwatering sums of money to publicly accuse certain leading aspirants of sexual misconduct, with the intent of ruining their reputations and disqualifying them from the race.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the scheme is being orchestrated by a small cabal within the university’s governing system, allegedly acting on the prompting of a powerful figure who fears losing grip on the institution once a particular contender emerges victorious.
“What is remaining now is to credit the ladies’ accounts with the agreed amounts,” the source said. “Each of them demanded seven million naira as their payoff for the act. The plan is to make the confessions go viral on social media and through sponsored blogs to make the allegations look genuine.”
Our correspondent gathered that the “operation” is billed to commence immediately after the final shortlist of candidates is released by the Governing Council. The idea, sources hinted, is to discredit any perceived frontrunner through moral scandals before the Council meets to make its final recommendation to the Visitor of the University.
A senior lecturer in the Faculty of Arts, who pleaded anonymity, described the development as “a dangerous descent into the gutter of university politics,” adding that such acts, if not checked, could “destroy the dignity of the institution and the moral fabric of the academic community.”
Meanwhile, tension is said to be mounting among staff and students as the succession politics intensifies. Several interest groups within the institution, including alumni networks, staff unions, and academic associations, have begun to take positions, some aligning with powerful godfathers and others calling for transparency in the selection process.
When contacted, a top official of the university declined comments on the alleged plot, stating that the process for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor “remains open, fair, and guided by due process.”
However, multiple insiders insist that unless security agencies step in to investigate the unfolding scandal, the race for the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo could go down in history as one of the most tainted and controversial successions in the university’s annals.