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Court Halts UNICAL Vice-Chancellor Selection Over Disputed Criteria
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria sitting in Calabar has issued an interim order stopping the ongoing process for appointing a new Vice-Chancellor at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), following a legal challenge by a senior academic.
The order was granted in response to a suit filed by Professor Joseph Eyo, who is contesting the legitimacy of a key requirement in the university’s vacancy advertisement published on May 27, 2025. The advertisement specified that applicants must possess at least 10 years of post-professorial experience—a condition Professor Eyo argues is baseless and unlawfully imposed.
The claimant contends that the criterion arose from an emergency meeting of the university’s Governing Council held on March 25, 2025, which he maintains was irregular and unsupported by any official university regulation.
In Suit No. NICN/CA/40/2025, Professor Eyo, through his counsel Ubong Akpan, filed a motion ex-parte on July 21, 2025, seeking an interim injunction to prevent the university and its council from implementing or acting on the said advertisement until the court decides on the substantive motion.
Presiding over the matter, Hon. Justice Sanusi Kado granted the request for accelerated hearing of both the motion on notice and the main suit. The judge further ordered a transfer of the case to the Abuja Division of the Industrial Court to be heard by a vacation judge.
Justice Kado also directed all parties to maintain the status quo and avoid any actions that might prejudice the proceedings. The motion on notice is scheduled for hearing on August 7, 2025.
A formal order, signed by the court registrar Egba Juliet Peter on July 23, 2025, restrains the University of Calabar and its Governing Council from proceeding with the Vice-Chancellor selection process pending the determination of the pending application.
This development puts a temporary halt to the high-stakes appointment process at one of Nigeria’s prominent federal universities and raises fresh concerns about the fairness and transparency of academic leadership selections.
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