The Nigeria Democratic Congress has defended the academic credentials of its 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissing three suits filed by a Labour Party chieftain, Abayomi Arabambi, seeking access to his academic and National Youth Service Corps records.
Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis and Nathaniel Shaibu
The defence followed three suits instituted by Arabambi against the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the National Youth Service Corps over Obi’s academic credentials.
Arabambi, in three separate suits filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is seeking orders compelling the three institutions to release official records relating to certificates allegedly issued to Obi.
But the NDC dismissed the suits, saying Obi had a verifiable academic pedigree and challenged Arabambi to produce any evidence suggesting otherwise.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, said Arabambi had himself acknowledged that he was not challenging the genuineness of Obi’s certificate and queried the basis for his demand for the records.
He said, “The truth is that it is not every dog that barks at you that needs to be challenged. Arabambi has said it himself that he is not doubting the genuineness of Peter Obi’s certificate.
“So, why does he want it? I am sure those institutions feel that his demand is frivolous. That’s why they refused to listen to him.”
The NDC spokesman, however, acknowledged Arabambi’s right to seek judicial intervention, saying the party would not attempt to stop him from pursuing the matter in court.
“It is his constitutional right to go to court to ask for anything he so desires. That is his prerogative. That is all we can say.”
Arabambi instituted the suit against WAEC as FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026, while his action against NYSC is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026.
Both were filed on September 1, 2026.
The suit against UNN, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, was filed on September 9.
The suits followed requests allegedly made by Arabambi to the three institutions seeking information concerning Obi’s academic and NYSC records.
In the WAEC case, he is seeking a Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, issued to Obi Gregory Onwubuasi in June 1978.
For UNN, he wants access to the university’s certificate register, academic records, graduation records, Senate or degree-award records and other existing official documents relating to Certificate No. D000198.
In the NYSC case, Arabambi is seeking records relating to NYSC Certificate No. 203495, stated to have been issued to “Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuasi (Mr) on May 1, 1986.”
He is also seeking information on the manner in which the name “Peter-Onwubuasi” appears in the relevant NYSC records.
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 alleged that UNN and NYSC neither granted his requests nor communicated reasons for refusing them.
He is, therefore, asking the court to declare the refusal or failure by the institutions to provide the requested information unlawful and to compel them to disclose the records.
Arabambi’s lawyer, Anderson Asemota, filed the suits on his client’s behalf.
But the NDC spokesman insisted that Obi had nothing to hide, saying the former Anambra State governor had subjected his credentials to public scrutiny.
“All we know is that our candidate has a verifiable academic pedigree. That is not in doubt. So, we don’t care whatever anybody out there is saying.
“But if he feels Obi has anything to hide, let him excavate it. This is a man who threw a challenge to the whole world to verify him. Can the President also say the same about himself?” he stated.
Director also faulted the attention being given to the controversy, urging the media and political actors to focus on the country’s economic and security challenges.
“I think the media needs to give attention to more pressing issues instead of sentiments and inanities. Let us discuss more on how to improve our economy and how to resolve the perennial threat of insecurity in the country.”
No date had been fixed for hearing in the three suits as of the time of filing this report.
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