A chieftain of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has instituted three separate lawsuits against the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps over the academic credentials of former Anambra State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi. The suits, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seek to compel the institutions to release official records relating to certificates allegedly issued to Obi. Arabambi filed the actions under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, alleging that his requests for the information were either rejected or left unanswered.The plaintiff, through his lawyer, Anderson Asemota, stressed that he was not asking the court to determine whether the certificates Obi submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission were genuine or forged. Instead, he wants access to existing official records that could establish the status and particulars of the certificates. The suit against WAEC, filed on September 1, seeks a certified true copy of a certificate identified as WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, allegedly issued to Obi Gregory Onwubuase in June 1978. The action against UNN, filed on September 9, seeks access to academic records, graduation records, certificate registers and degree-award records relating to Certificate No. D000198.Arabambi also wants the NYSC to release records connected to Certificate No. 203495, allegedly issued to Obi Gregory Peter-Onwubuase on May 1, 1986, and clarify the appearance of the name “Peter-Onwubuase” in its records. Court documents indicate that WAEC rejected his request in a letter dated August 11, 2026, citing provisions of the Freedom of Information Act concerning personal information and exemptions from disclosure. The plaintiff, however, alleged that UNN and NYSC neither provided the requested records nor explained why they were withholding them. He is asking the court to declare the refusals unlawful and compel the institutions to release the existing information in the public interest, particularly for transparency and accountability ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
