The process to appoint a new Vice Chancellor for the University of Calabar (UNICAL) has been put on hold by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Calabar.

This comes after a restraining order was issued, stopping the university’s Governing Council from continuing with the selection process to replace current VC, Professor Florence Obi, whose tenure is set to end in December 2025.

The legal action was initiated by Professor Joseph Eyo Duke, one of the applicants for the VC position. He challenged the May 27, 2025 advertisement, which required candidates to have at least 10 years of post-professorial experience — a condition he described as unlawful and not backed by any official university regulation.

Prof. Duke claimed that the requirement came from an emergency council meeting held on March 25, 2025, and argued it had no legal basis.

In response, Justice Sanusi Kado granted a motion ex-parte on July 21, ordering all parties to maintain the status quo and avoid any actions that could affect the fairness of the case.

The court also transferred the matter to Abuja, where a vacation judge will now handle the case. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 7, 2025, at the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court.

With this court ruling, UNICAL’s plans to name a new Vice Chancellor before the end of the year are now in limbo, pending further legal proceedings.