The Faculty of Law, University of Jos, has dismissed allegations by former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, describing them as false and baseless.
The faculty was reacting to remarks made by Dalung during a recent interview on a national television where he alleged irregularities involving the manipulation of students’ results during Amupitan’s tenure as Dean.
In a rejoinder signed by the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Francis Kwede, the management said there was no record of any form of result manipulation or favouritism in the institution.
The faculty specifically denied claims that the results of some students in the 2009/2010 academic session were altered in favour of a group of so-called “special students,” insisting that nothing of such ever occurred.
It explained that during Amupitan’s tenure as Dean between 2008 and 2014, reforms were introduced to improve the integrity of the result processing system, including the adoption of electronic spreadsheets to eliminate errors and delays associated with manual computation.
According to the statement, the innovation enhanced transparency and efficiency, enabling students to meet up with their schedule at the Nigerian Law School.
The faculty further described the allegation against Amupitan’s integrity as “false, baseless and without merit,” urging the public to disregard it, noting that it was made in the context of partisan political discourse.
It maintained that the former Dean conducted himself with honour and professionalism, adding that his tenure witnessed both academic and infrastructural development within the faculty.
The management also refuted claims that Dalung or any other student was victimised during their academic pursuits, stating that available records showed that Dalung successfully completed his postgraduate studies and obtained his LL.M in 2010.
“There is no record to suggest that Mr. Dalung was victimised or that he challenged any result on behalf of students during his time in the faculty,” the statement added.
The faculty said it deemed it necessary to clarify the issues to prevent the public from being misled, reiterating that there was no evidence to support the allegations of result manipulation or victimisation.