A Labour Party chieftain, Abayomi Arabambi, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking orders compelling the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to release certified copies of the academic records relating to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress.
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In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, filed on September 9 through his lawyer, Anderson Asemota, Arabambi named the Vice-Chancellor of UNN and the university as respondents.
At the centre of the action is Arabambi’s request for a Certified True Copy of Certificate No. D000198, which he said was issued to Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi in respect of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1984.
Arabambi told the court that he first wrote to the university on July 16, 2026, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, requesting not only the certificate but also the academic and institutional records upon which the degree was awarded.
According to him, the request was received by the university on August 6, but the institution allegedly failed to provide the documents or issue a written refusal identifying any exemption under the FoI Act.
He said he subsequently sent a reminder dated August 31, which was received on September 1, but alleged that the requested information was still not supplied.
Arabambi is therefore asking the court for an order of mandamus compelling UNN to determine and respond to his FoI request in accordance with the law.
Among the 19 reliefs sought, he wants the court to declare that his request constitutes a valid application for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
He is also asking the court to compel the university to furnish him with a Certified True Copy of Certificate No. D000198, if the certificate exists within the custody, possession or control of the university.
In addition, Arabambi wants UNN ordered to release existing official records connected with the degree, including relevant academic records, graduation and degree-award records, certificate-register entries, Senate or academic approval records and any other official documents upon which the degree or certificate was based.
He argued that UNN, as a public institution, is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and has a statutory obligation to respond to requests within the prescribed period.
Arabambi further contended that the university’s alleged failure to provide the records or issue a lawful notice of refusal amounts to a refusal or deemed refusal under the Act.
The applicant’s complaint also raises questions about what he described as variations in Obi’s name across documents submitted to electoral and educational authorities.
The suit has yet to be assigned to a judge, and no determination has been made on the merits of Arabambi’s claims or the reliefs sought.
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