The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan has adjourned until October 29, 2026, the appeal filed by the University of Ibadan challenging a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the institution to allow a postgraduate student, Kayode Bello, to graduate.
Bello, who has been locked in a protracted legal dispute with the university over his Master’s degree in Communication Arts, alleged on Sunday that the adjournment followed what he described as a threat by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Mrs Maryam Belgore, during a court-ordered mediation process.
The student claimed Belgore warned that the appeal could be fixed for a longer hearing date if he failed to “cooperate” during the mediation.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the appeal arose from Bello’s inability to graduate despite completing his postgraduate programme in 2023.
According to Bello, the matter came up before the appellate court on Friday, July 3, when the presiding judge, Justice Georgewill Abraham, adjourned the case to October 29 after declining his request for the appeal to be heard immediately.
He said the matter had earlier been referred to mediation on June 29, with the reconciliation meeting held on July 1 before the Deputy Chief Registrar but ended without an agreement.
Bello alleged that during the mediation, Belgore openly displayed sympathy towards the university’s counsel, Benedicta Adigwe, and hurriedly prepared what he described as an incomplete report stating that both parties failed to reach a settlement.
He further alleged that Belgore warned him that refusing to cooperate during mediation could result in the matter being given a much later hearing date.
The student expressed fears that the October adjournment could deny him the opportunity of participating in the University’s November 2026 convocation.
“During the court session last Friday, I told the court that I would miss the November 2026 convocation again if the matter was not heard and concluded before the ceremony,” Bello said.
According to him, while the university’s legal team sought a hearing date in December 2026, he opposed any further delay, adding that the court initially considered fixing the appeal for 2027 before settling for October 29.
The dispute dates back to 2022 when Bello approached the Federal High Court after the university allegedly blocked access to his postgraduate portal, preventing him from completing processes required for graduation.
In October 2025, Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, ruled in Bello’s favour and ordered the University of Ibadan to reopen his postgraduate portal to enable him to participate in the institution’s convocation.
However, the university, alongside its Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Provost of the Postgraduate College, Admission Officer, Head of the Information and Communication Technology Unit of the Postgraduate College, Head of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, and lecturer, Dr. Bisi Olawuyi, appealed the judgment, effectively suspending its implementation.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal had directed both parties to explore an out-of-court settlement.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that in a letter dated June 29, 2026, with reference number CA/IB/MBA/VOL.II/63, the Deputy Chief Registrar directed representatives of the University of Ibadan and Bello to meet on or before July 1 to discuss modalities for resolving the dispute.
The mediation meeting was subsequently held at the Court of Appeal complex in Ibadan but ended without an agreement, paving the way for the appeal to continue.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Court of Appeal nor the University of Ibadan had officially responded to Bello’s allegations against the Deputy Chief Registrar.
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