On March 5, the education ministry confirmed Christopher Ogbogbo, a professor of history, as the substantive vice-chancellor of the institution.

In a statement, the ministry said due process was followed and that the federal government prioritised merit and fairness.

It said the selection process adhered to the ADUN Establishment Act of 2022 and other relevant regulations.

ADUN, owned by the Nigerian Navy, has been at the centre of controversy regarding the selection process for its substantive VC.

The university advertised the vacant position in October 2024, receiving 52 applications by the deadline.

The governing council engaged a multinational consultancy to assess the applicants based on the advertised criteria, leading to a shortlist of five candidates after a written test.

The shortlisted professors included Lucian Chukwu (Marine Biology, University of Lagos), Sunny Iyuke (Chemical and Process Engineering, Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun), and Lawrence Omo-Aghoja (College of Medicine, Delta State University, Abraka).,

Others are Ifeoma Ijeh (Biochemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike) and Christopher Ogbogbo (African History, University of Ibadan).

The selection board assigned scores to each candidate, with Lucian Chukwu scoring 83.41 per cent and Christopher Ogbogbo scoring 72.5 per cent.

Ijeh attained 69.16 per cent, Iyuke 60.83 per cent, and Omo-Aghoja 59.5 per cent.

The pass mark was set at 70 per cent.

Ezeoba advocated for appointing the highest-scoring candidate, but some governing council members pushed for Ogbogbo’s appointment.

The council chairman would escalate the matter to , the minister of education, on 27 February.

The nature of the meeting remains unclear but it was purported that the minister halted the selection process pending further review.

On February 28, Isaac Mankilik, the university’s registrar, announced Ogbogbo’s appointment as the preferred candidate.

In protest, Ezeoba denounced the decision as “illegal” and cited the minister’s earlier directive.

In a letter addressed to the education minister and obtained by TheCable, Ezeoba resigned as pro-chancellor and chairman of the university’s governing council.

He said he was unable to reconcile the education ministry’s decision with the outcome of the selection process overseen by the council.

“I pride myself in the ethos of truth, fairness, equity, transparency, and justice as the fundamental principles of purposeful leadership,” the resignation reads in part.

“The reason for this unforeseen decision is the controversy arising from the negation of a transparent and merit-based interview process leading to the selection and appointment of a substantive vice-chancellor

“I consider this singular act as prejudice and inimical to the promotion of merit-based appointment systems most desired for the leadership of our strategic institutions and national development.”

The resignation, it is understood, took effect on March 6.

The Admiralty University of Nigeria was established in 2017 but commenced operations in October 2018.

As the confirmed substantive VC, Ogbogbo is to succeed Paul Omojo Omaji who served as the pioneer vice-chancellor since 2017.

His initial term concluded on June 30, 2023, but a six-month extension of service kept him in office until December 31, 2023.

As this extension elapsed, the position of VC became vacant on April 1, 2024.