MOUA Convocation Stalled Pro-Chancellor, VC Bicker

Boniface Okoro in Aba

Postponement of the 13 convocation ceremony of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) in Abia State, has continued to cause ripples as some graduates of the institution have called on the federal government to intervene in the alleged power play between the university’s Pro-chancellor, Fidelis Edeh, and the Vice Chancellor, Professor Maduebibisi Iwe, which has stalled their convocation ceremony.The fate of the fresh graduates now hangs in the air following the Pro-Chancellor’s alleged refusal to approve the budget for the convocation ceremony in a bid to settle scores with the vice chancellor.

Preparations had reached advanced stage for the ceremony scheduled for December 12, 2025, as all the statutory organs had given the go-ahead for the event, only for the Pro-Chancellor to deliberately stall the process by withholding the budget in a bid to frustrate the convocation and spite the vice chancellor, whose tenure is due on March 1, 2026.

Recall that on December 10, the university announced the postponement of the 13th convocation ceremony, which was earlier approved to hold from December 10 to 13 on the university’s campus in Umudike.

In the statement signed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Iwe, the university apologised to the Chancellor and Chairman of convocation, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar IV, regretting the inconveniences the postponement must have caused him and the graduands of the institution.

Part of the statement captioned: ‘Notice of Postponement of 13th Convocation Ceremony’, read: “The Senate of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, wishes to notify the public that the 13th convocation ceremony of the university approved earlier to hold from December 10 to 13, 2025, has been put on hold until further notice.”

Iwe, who is also the chairman of the university’s Senate, also used the opportunity to apologise to the convocation lecturer, Dr. Simeon Ehui, the director-general of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, “for the disruptions, which this postponement must have caused him.”The university assured all concerned that a new date for the 13th convocation ceremony will be announced later, even as newsmen gathered that the pro-chancellor has sworn that the event would not hold under Iwe’s watch, despite the graduands’ insistence that academic tradition of universities specify that convocation ceremonies are the exclusive responsibility of the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor.

One of the distraught graduands lamented the interruption, regretting that he and his parents had incurred much cost preparing for the ceremony only to be informed at the eleventh-hour of a postponement.

“It is not fair or proper. We know that it is all politics. The Pro-Chancellor is merely pursuing vendetta on behalf of his benefactor, former Science and Technology Minister, Chief Geoffrey Nnaji, who nominated him for the position. The Pro-Chancellor has not forgiven the VC for serving as the INEC returning officer that announced Governor Peter Mbah as winner of the 2023 Enugu State governorship election instead of Chief Geoffrey Nnaji.“Why should innocent students be made to suffer from this needless power play? Some of us have planned to travel outside the country for our masters. We pray that President Bola Tinubu should intervene through the Minister of Agriculture and save our souls,” the graduating student stated.The university Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Ubadire Agua, disputed the claims that an alleged faceoff between the Pro-Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor led to the postponement of the scheduled convocation.

In a statement dated December 6, 2025, Uba said: “The Vice-Chancellor held an emergency meeting of Senate on December 4, 2025, and reported to members of Senate that the chairman of the Governing Council had put all activities of the 13th convocation ceremony on hold, pending when the Governing Council meets to consider the budget and decide on new dates for the event.”

He added: “Although the directive of the Chairman of Council was received in the Senate with mixed feelings, Prof. Iwe cautioned that it should not create disaffection or cause any form of distractions in the university, especially as his administration transits to a new one.”On the issue of the Enugu State election, the university spokesman maintained that Prof. Iwe discharged his responsibilities excellently, adding that the VC has not recruited any person to speak on his behalf on the issue.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the Pro-Chancellor explained that the postponement of the convocation ceremony was not a personal but a collective decision, emphasizing that he has no such power to unilaterally stop the programme.

“Stopping the convocation cannot be a personal decision. Pro-Chancellor is the chairman of council and there is no power vested in the chairman to stop a convocation; it is be possible, because the Governing Council will first feel slighted, Senate will feel slighted, the Chancellor of the university who will preside over the convocation, will feel slighted and the Minister of Education will feel slighted; even the President, the Visitor I am representing too.

“People should not personalize the postponement of the convocation. This is an institution, and convocation is the highest ceremony of the university and that convocation is vested in the Senate. What the council does is to approve the process, including funding.

So if the convocation could not hold, it means there is something fundamentally wrong with it, It cannot be the chairman that stopped it,” he said.He also dismissed allegations of vendetta against the VC, saying: “Even if the chairman has vendetta as people are alleging, he can’t bring it into the convocation issue,” stressing that he could only be accused of vendetta if he was trying to probe or remove the VC.

“Convocation is in the Act establishing the university. It is not possible that an individual can stop it. It will be easy to remove the chairman than for him to stop the convocation. If I am not affected, I will dismiss it if anyone brings such story to me.

“The university has reacted to the postponement of the convocation and there is no indication in that reaction that it was unilaterally stopped by an individual.

“As to the reasons while the convocation was topped, that is an internal matter, which by the time it is sorted out, and in the course of putting a new date, it will be explained.

“If the institutions of the university: the Governing Council and the management, presided over by the VC, have not faulted the postponement of the convocation, every other rumour or allegation is inconsequential,” he said.