A group, the Concerned Staff of Federal Polytechnic, Offa and another group at the Kwara State-based polytechnic led by the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Offa Poly, Dr. Sola Ojeniyi, are at loggerheads over the appointment of the rector of the institution.

The CSFPO, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Ayokunle Tajudeen, which was made available to our correspondent in Ilorin, the state capital on Saturday, urged the Federal Government to conduct a fresh interview for the selection of a new rector for the polytechnic.

The group said, "The three candidates pencilled for the position of rector are not qualified because their areas of discipline are not in any of the programmes run in the polytechnic.

"The Polytechnic (Offa) does not award diplomas in Mathematics, English, Communication Arts or Economics. "We should not allow a bad precedent to be laid. The Presidency should look into the problem of the Federal Poly Offa in the name of justice and its change mantra."

It further stated that a candidate could only be appointed as rector if the person was not more than 55 years old at the time of assumption of duty and that they must be a chief lecturer with at least five years' experience and must be in any of the programmes run in the polytechnic that awards diplomas. But the Ojeniyi-led group and the institution's student union government urged the Federal Government to name one among the three recommended candidates as the new rector of the polytechnic.

It had warned that it would be unacceptable and may result in a crisis should another person outside the three shortlisted applicants be "imposed."

The CSFPO, however, urged the education minister to select officers of unquestionable character and of high integrity to conduct another interview. It noted that the idea of picking anybody to become rector either from the university or polytechnic would not help but compound the crisis.