Dr. Chris Onyemenonu, the rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede in Imo State, has disputed a report that he has endorsed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the next governorship election on November 11.
Dr. Ugochukwu Iwuji, the Rector’s Special Adviser on Media, stated categorically that the allegation was completely false.
It has been speculated that the Rector and several administrators were present at a gathering hosted by students on school grounds.
Iwuji rebutted, however, that neither the Rector nor any other members of the administration team were present.
Iwuji stated, “We have been made aware of a pernicious plot by some mischief makers to sully the reputation of Chris Onyemenonu, the Acting Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede. These propagandists have spread a video claiming falsely that the new polytechnic head has designated the polytechnic as a PDP institution.
“Neither the Acting Rector nor any of his main officers were in attendance at the aforementioned occasion. That is to say, the student body took initiative and did something that is already being looked at.
They want people to think that the institution or its top leaders have a particular political ideology, and that is their main goal. They said that even school officials had been coerced into attending the event, which had been advertised as a program for women enrolled in the Engineering School.
The event last Thursday of the Council of Vice Presidents in the School of Engineering Technology of our school was planned to give an audience to some PDP actors, and that is one of the intentions of these fifth columnists.
In contrast, the event that featured Engr. Dr. (Mrs.) Joan Arimanwa as Keynote Speaker focused on the topic of women engineers as a means of promoting equality in a technologically advanced society. However, management had not given its consent for the event to go forward at the time it occurred.
The administration of the Federal Polytechnic had no idea who the students were inviting to the party until after the fact. Therefore, their opinions do not reflect those of the organization.
The administration of Federal Polytechnic Nekede dissociates itself from any student-organized event that would provide a platform for “politically exposed persons” or the People’s Democratic Party.
