A chieftain of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has instituted separate legal actions against the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps over records linked to the academic credentials of the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.
The three suits, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seek orders compelling the institutions to provide official records concerning certificates allegedly issued to Obi.
Arabambi brought the actions under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, accusing the institutions of failing to provide information he requested about Obi’s academic records.
The suit against WAEC, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026, was filed on September 1, 2026. The NYSC case, FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026, was filed on the same date, while the action against UNN, FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, was filed on September 9.
The suits were filed by Arabambi’s lawyer, Anderson Asemota.
Arabambi clarified that his requests were not intended to have the court determine whether the certificates Obi presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 presidential election were genuine or forged.
Rather, he said he was seeking “disclosure of the respondents’ official records from which the status and particulars of the certificate may be ascertained”.
He said he had separately approached WAEC, UNN and NYSC for records concerning certificates he believed were issued to Obi. According to him, he had not received the requested information from the institutions by the time the suits were commenced, while UNN and NYSC allegedly failed to provide explanations for withholding the records.
The plaintiff argued that the information was in the public interest, particularly “for purposes of transparency and accountability concerning persons seeking public office.”
He further stressed that he was not asking the respondents “to create any document or information which does not exist” but wanted “access only to existing official records within the custody, possession or control of the respondents”.
Records Sought From WAEC
In the case against WAEC, Arabambi wants the examination body to produce a Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, said to have been issued in June 1978 to Obi Gregory Onwubuase.
WAEC had, in a letter dated August 11, 2026, declined the request, relying on Sections 14(1)(a) and 14(2)(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
UNN Certificate Records
For UNN, Arabambi is seeking access to the institution’s certificate register, academic and graduation records, Senate or degree-award records, as well as other existing official documents relating to Certificate No. D000198, where such records are available.
He maintained that the request was not for the court to determine whether the certificate was authentic, but to “ascertain what the University’s own official records disclose concerning the certificate”.
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Among the reliefs sought, he wants the court to order UNN to provide the outcome of its verification of Certificate No. D000198 using its existing records, including whether the certificate and its particulars are contained in those records.
NYSC Certificate Under Scrutiny
In the NYSC suit, Arabambi is seeking official records concerning NYSC Certificate No. 203495, which is stated to have been issued to “Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuase (Mr.) on May 1, 1986”.
He also wants the records, certificates, documents or other materials on which Certificate No. 203495 was based or issued, provided they remain within the custody, possession or control of the respondents.
Another request concerns the manner in which the name “Peter-Onwubuase” is recorded in the relevant NYSC documents.
Arabambi alleged that, unlike WAEC, UNN and NYSC had neither supplied the requested records nor communicated reasons for refusing his requests.
He is therefore asking the court to declare the respondents’ failure to provide the information unlawful and to recognise his applications as valid requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
He also wants the court to hold that the failure to respond amounted to “a refusal and/or deemed refusal under the Act”.
The plaintiff is further asking that, where the respondents claim that any part of the requested material is exempt from disclosure, they should identify the information withheld and specify the relevant statutory provision supporting the refusal.
He equally seeks an order requiring the release of any severable portions of the records that are not covered by an exemption.
Arabambi has also asked the court to rely on Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act to order disclosure if it determines that the respondents are not authorised to deny access, lack reasonable grounds for withholding the information, or that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the interest protected by keeping it confidential.
As of the filing of the report, no hearing date had been fixed for any of the three cases.