The academic records of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election, have come under renewed legal scrutiny after Abayomi Arabambi instituted separate suits against the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Arabambi, a former Labour Party spokesman who has since been disowned by the party, is seeking orders of the Federal High Court in Abuja compelling the three institutions to provide official records relating to academic and service documents attributed to Obi.
The litigation represents a significant escalation of a controversy that has followed Obi since the 2023 presidential election, when questions were raised over variations in the names appearing on documents associated with his secondary education, university studies and NYSC service.
Three institutions targeted
Reports indicate that Arabambi filed three separate suits, each relating to records held by one of the institutions.
The cases seek access to official documentation that could clarify the details contained in records attributed to Obi, including documents relating to his WAEC qualification, his university education at UNN and his NYSC service.
The renewed legal action follows earlier demands by Arabambi for the institutions to explain what he described as discrepancies in Obi’s records.
In August, he publicly questioned variations in Obi’s names across official documents and said he had written to WAEC, UNN and NYSC seeking clarification.
What is being questioned?
At the centre of the controversy are variations in the way Obi’s name appears on documents.
Previous reporting established that a copy of a WAEC certificate attributed to Obi carries the name “Obi Gregory Onwubuasi,” while the UNN certificate bears “Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi.” The NYSC document was reported as carrying “Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuasi.”
Arabambi has argued that the differences require an explanation, particularly because Obi is seeking the presidency again.
However, the existence of variations in names on documents does not, by itself, establish forgery, fraud or academic misconduct. Such questions would need to be resolved through the relevant institutions and, where necessary, the courts.
That distinction is important as the matter moves from political debate into formal legal proceedings.
Controversy has existed since 2023
The dispute is not new.
During the 2023 election cycle, Arabambi, then associated with the faction of the Labour Party led by Lamidi Apapa, publicly questioned the names on Obi’s university and NYSC documents.
Obi’s political camp rejected the allegations.
Yunusa Tanko, then spokesman for the Obi-Datti campaign organisation, described the allegations as false and argued that Obi could not have been using the academic certificate of his late brother because the two men studied different courses at UNN.
The Labour Party at the time also defended Obi’s credentials, with its then national publicity secretary saying the documents were available for verification.
Labour Party distances itself from Arabambi
The latest development has created an additional political dimension.
The Labour Party said on Monday that Arabambi is no longer a member of the party and therefore cannot properly be described as an LP chieftain or representative in connection with the litigation.
According to National Publicity Secretary Ken Eluma Asogwa, the party’s National Executive Council suspended 25 members on March 18, 2026, over alleged anti-party activities. Arabambi was among those affected, and the suspension was subsequently ratified by the party’s National Convention on April 28.
Asogwa said no party organ had reversed the decision.
The LP spokesman said the party was not taking a position on the merits of Arabambi’s case against the institutions but was seeking to correct what it described as inaccurate reports portraying him as a current party chieftain.
NDC defends Obi
Obi’s current political platform, the NDC, has also responded to the legal challenge.
The party has defended his academic credentials and criticised the decision to pursue the records through litigation, according to current reporting.
The NDC’s response reflects the increasingly political significance of the issue.
Obi is preparing to contest the 2027 presidential election, meaning questions about his eligibility and credentials are likely to attract heightened attention.
What the court could establish
The legal proceedings could provide a formal mechanism for clarifying questions that have circulated publicly for several years.
The immediate issue before the court, however, is access to official records rather than a judicial declaration that Obi forged any certificate.
The institutions involved may be required to explain what records they hold and whether they can legally release them.
Any conclusion about the authenticity or validity of particular documents would have to be based on evidence from the institutions and the court, rather than political allegations.
The case therefore represents a potentially important test of how questions surrounding candidates’ academic records are handled ahead of a presidential election.
For Obi, the litigation comes as he attempts to consolidate his opposition platform ahead of 2027. For Arabambi, it is a continuation of a challenge he first raised publicly during the previous presidential election cycle.
The next stages of the court proceedings are likely to determine whether the institutions will be compelled to provide the requested information and, ultimately, whether the documents in question raise any substantive legal issue.