“The present leadership has been in office for over 20 years, despite the constitutional provision limiting the tenure of executives to four years,” he said.
The BoT chairman said the ministry had also raised other concerns regarding the planned election, including allegations that delegates were being imported for the exercise.
He further disclosed that the ministry cited a pending court matter in Osun involving Ademola as part of the issues surrounding the proposed election.
Ministry Directs Factions Back To Dialogue
Ogunbanjo said the issues surrounding the election required resolution through dialogue, reconciliation and strict adherence to the constitutional provisions governing NAPTAN.
According to him, the ministry directed the contending factions to return to dialogue and resolve their differences before making any fresh attempt to conduct a national election.
The directive is expected to provide an avenue for the different groups to address the issues that have contributed to the leadership crisis and establish a mutually acceptable process for the eventual election.
Ogunbanjo said resolving the disagreement was particularly important because the crisis had emerged at a critical period when parents needed a united platform to participate effectively in discussions and decisions concerning education.
He stressed that a divided parents’ association could weaken the ability of parents to effectively present their concerns and contribute to national education policy discussions.
Parents’ Unity Critical To Education Policy
The BoT chairman said the need to resolve the crisis had become more urgent in view of major education reforms and policy engagements expected ahead of 2027.
He urged the contending parties to place the interests of Nigerian children and the education system above their differences by embracing transparency, unity and compliance with NAPTAN’s constitutional provisions.
Ogunbanjo maintained that a credible and united parents’ association remained essential to ensuring that the concerns and interests of parents were adequately represented in national education policy discussions.
The association’s leadership dispute has therefore placed renewed attention on the need for an election process that is transparent, constitutionally compliant and acceptable to the various stakeholders.
While the Federal Ministry of Education has directed the factions to return to dialogue, the next steps towards resolving the disagreement and conducting a fresh national election remain subject to the outcome of the reconciliation process.
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