The academic credentials of Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi have come under fresh legal scrutiny after a Labour Party chieftain asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel WAEC, UNN and NYSC to release records connected to certificates reportedly issued to him.
The suits were filed by Abayomi Arabambi, who is seeking access to official records held by the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the National Youth Service Corps under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
Arabambi, through his lawyer Anderson Asemota, has stressed that the legal actions are not asking the court to determine whether certificates submitted by Obi to the Independent National Electoral Commission are genuine or forged.
Instead, the applicant wants the three institutions to release existing official records from which the status, particulars and history of the certificates can be independently established.
The move comes as political activity around the 2027 presidential election intensifies, with Obi expected to be one of the prominent contenders seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu and other major presidential candidates.
The three cases were filed separately at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the suits against WAEC and NYSC filed on September 1, 2026, while the case against UNN was filed on September 9.
The WAEC case is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026, while the NYSC action is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026, and the UNN case is identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026.
In the WAEC case, Arabambi is asking the court to compel the examination body to provide a Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, reportedly issued in June 1978 to Obi Gregory Onwubuase.
He also wants information capable of establishing the status and particulars of the certificate, particularly in light of his stated interest in verifying official records relating to Obi’s educational history.
For the UNN case, the applicant is seeking access to records concerning Certificate No. D000198, which he says relates to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy reportedly awarded to Obi in 1984.
The requested UNN documents include academic records, graduation and degree-award records, certificate-register entries, Senate or academic approval records and other official documents upon which the alleged degree and certificate were based.
Arabambi said his request to UNN was made in July and was received by the university on August 6, but alleged that the institution failed to provide the requested records within the period prescribed by the Freedom of Information Act.
He subsequently sent a reminder dated August 31, which he said was received by the university on September 1, but maintained that the records had still not been supplied when he commenced the legal action.
The NYSC case similarly seeks access to records concerning Certificate No. 203495, reportedly issued to Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuasi, on May 1, 1986, including documents that could clarify the name appearing in the corps’ records.
Arabambi's actions followed requests he said he separately made to the three institutions, with the applicant alleging that the institutions either declined to provide the requested information or failed to give satisfactory reasons for withholding it.
In the WAEC matter, court documents indicate that the examination body declined the request in a letter dated August 11, relying on provisions of the Freedom of Information Act concerning exemptions from disclosure.
Arabambi is challenging that refusal and asking the court to determine whether the request should have been granted under the law.
He has argued that the information is in the public interest because of the importance of transparency and accountability concerning individuals seeking elective public office.
The legal challenge has already drawn a response from Obi’s political platform, with the Nigeria Democratic Congress defending the former Anambra State governor and dismissing the suits as unnecessary.
NDC National Publicity Secretary Osa Director said Obi had a verifiable academic record and noted that Arabambi himself had stated that the lawsuits were not intended to establish that Obi’s certificates were fake.
Director nevertheless acknowledged Arabambi’s constitutional right to approach the court and said the party would not attempt to prevent him from pursuing the cases.
The lawsuits have therefore opened another politically sensitive legal front ahead of the 2027 election, with the court potentially determining whether the institutions must disclose the records being requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
No hearing date has been fixed for the three suits, meaning the immediate focus will be on the court’s handling of the applications and the responses of WAEC, UNN and NYSC.
For now, the cases do not amount to a judicial finding that Obi’s certificates are forged or invalid, as the applicant himself has framed the actions as requests for access to official records rather than a direct challenge to their authenticity.
With the 2027 presidential race gathering momentum, however, the demand for disclosure of Obi’s educational and NYSC records is likely to remain a significant political talking point as rival camps intensify scrutiny of candidates’ credentials and eligibility.