A chieftain of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has sued the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over the academic records of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Arabambi, in three separate suits filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and made available to our correspondent on Sunday, is seeking orders compelling the three institutions to release official records relating to certificates allegedly issued to Obi.
The suits were filed under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, with Arabambi alleging that the institutions either failed or refused to respond to his requests for information concerning Obi’s academic records.
The suit against WAEC is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026 and was filed on September 1, 2026. The action against NYSC, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026, was filed on the same date, while the suit against UNN, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, was filed on September 9.
Arabambi’s lawyer, Anderson Asemota, filed the suits on his client’s behalf.
The plaintiff stressed that he was not asking the court to determine whether the certificates Obi submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 presidential election were genuine or forged.
Instead, he said he was seeking the disclosure of “the respondents’ official records from which the status and particulars of the certificate may be ascertained.”
According to Arabambi, he separately wrote to WAEC, UNN and NYSC requesting information concerning certificates he believed they had issued to Obi.
He alleged that, as of the time the suits were filed, he had neither received the requested information nor been given reasons for withholding it by UNN and NYSC.
Arabambi said the information sought was in the public interest, particularly “for purposes of transparency and accountability concerning persons seeking public office.”
He also stressed that he was not asking the institutions “to create any document or information which does not exist”, but was seeking “access only to existing official records within the custody, possession or control of the respondents.”
What Arabambi wants from WAEC
In the suit against WAEC, Arabambi is asking the court to compel the examination body to release a Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, issued to Obi Gregory Onwubuase in June 1978.
The plaintiff is not asking the court to rule on the authenticity of the certificate, but wants access to WAEC’s official records relating to it.
Request to UNN
For UNN, Arabambi is seeking access to the university’s certificate register, academic and graduation records, Senate or degree-award records, and other existing official documents relevant to Certificate No. D000198, insofar as such records exist.
He said the request was intended to “ascertain what the University’s own official records disclose concerning the certificate”, rather than asking the court to determine its authenticity.
Request to NYSC
In the NYSC case, Arabambi is seeking access to official records relating to NYSC Certificate No. 203495, stated to have been issued to “Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuase (Mr.)” on May 1, 1986.
He is also seeking the official record, certificate, document or other material on which Certificate No. 203495 was based or issued, where such material is in NYSC’s custody, possession or control.
The plaintiff further wants information on how the name “Peter-Onwubuase” appears in the relevant NYSC records.
WAEC rejects request
Court documents showed that WAEC, in a letter dated August 11, 2026, rejected Arabambi’s request, citing Sections 14(1)(a) and 14(2)(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
Arabambi, however, alleged that UNN and NYSC neither granted his requests nor communicated any reasons for refusing them.
He is therefore asking the court to declare that the respondents’ refusal to provide the requested information was unlawful.
He also wants the court to hold that his requests constituted valid applications for information under the Freedom of Information Act and that the failure to provide the information amounted to “a refusal and/or deemed refusal under the Act.”
Among other reliefs, Arabambi is seeking an order of mandamus compelling UNN to communicate the result of its verification of the particulars of Certificate No. D000198 based on its existing official records, including whether the certificate and its particulars appear in those records.
He is similarly asking the court to compel NYSC to communicate the result of its verification of Certificate No. 203495 based on its official records.
The plaintiff further wants the court to direct the respondents, where they contend that any portion of the requested information is exempt from disclosure, to identify the information withheld and the specific statutory provision relied upon for the refusal.
He is also seeking an order for the disclosure of all severable portions of the requested information that are not exempt from disclosure.
In addition, Arabambi wants the court to invoke Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act and order disclosure if it finds that the respondents are not authorised to deny access, have no reasonable grounds for doing so, or where the public interest in disclosure outweighs the interest served by withholding the information.
As of the time of filing this report, no date had been fixed for hearing in the three suits.
