Key points

• Abayomi Arabambi has filed three separate suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against WAEC, UNN and NYSC under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
• The plaintiff says he is not asking the court to rule on whether Peter Obi’s certificates are genuine, only to compel disclosure of the institutions’ official records.
• WAEC declined the request on Aug. 11, citing FOI Act exemptions, while UNN and NYSC gave no response, and no hearing date has been fixed.

The academic credentials of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, have come under fresh scrutiny after a Labour Party chieftain filed three separate suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to compel the release of his original certificates.

Abayomi Arabambi filed the actions against the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps.

He is seeking orders of mandamus that would force the institutions to hand over copies of certificates and records issued to Obi, in line with the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

The suits against WAEC and NYSC were filed on Sept. 1, while the action against UNN followed on Sept. 9. According to court documents, Arabambi wrote separately to each institution demanding information on the certificates he believed they had issued to Obi.

However, he said the requests went unanswered, and none of the respondents explained why the information could not be released.

What the suits are asking

Arabambi, through a legal team led by Anderson Asemota, told the court he is not asking it to decide whether the certificates Obi attached to his Form EC 9 for the 2027 presidential election are genuine or forged.

Instead, he wants disclosure of the institutions’ official records so that the status and particulars of the certificates can be ascertained.

Specifically, he wants WAEC to release a certified true copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, issued to Obi Gregory Onwubuase in June 1978.

In addition, he is asking UNN to release its certificate register, academic and graduation records, and Senate award records relevant to Certificate No. D000198.

Likewise, he wants NYSC to grant access to records relating to NYSC Certificate No. 203495, which the suit says was issued to Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuase, on May 1, 1986. The request also seeks information on how the name “Peter-Onwubuase” appears in NYSC records.

Institutions’ response and next steps

Court processes show that WAEC declined the request on Aug. 11, citing Sections 14(1)(a) and 14(2)(a) and (b) of the FOI Act. Meanwhile, UNN and NYSC neither granted the request nor gave any reason for refusing it.

Consequently, Arabambi wants the court to declare WAEC’s refusal erroneous and to rule that his requests were valid and should have been granted.

He is also asking for orders directing the respondents to identify any information they consider exempt, cite the precise statutory basis for withholding it, and disclose all non-exempt portions.

Furthermore, he is relying on Section 25 of the FOI Act, which allows a court to order disclosure where the public interest outweighs the interest served by withholding.

Notably, the Labour Party has reportedly distanced itself from the suits, saying Arabambi was suspended from the party. No date has been fixed for the hearing.