ABUJA, Nigeria — Labour Party chieftain Abayomi Arabambi has filed three separate suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking orders of mandamus to compel the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps to release certified true copies of the academic records and certificates of 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The legal filings name the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as respondents following their alleged failure to respond to applications made under the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011. Golden Info reports that Abayomi Arabambi, acting through his legal team headed by Anderson Asemota, instituted suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026 against WAEC and suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026 against the NYSC on September 1, 2026, before filing suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026 against UNN on September 9, 2026.
The plaintiff told the court that the applications do not seek a judicial determination on whether the certificates attached to the Form EC 9 submitted by Peter Obi to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are valid or forged. Instead, the legal actions aim to obtain official institutional documents to confirm the status, particulars, and exact naming conventions recorded in the custody of the three respondents.
Regarding the examinations body, the lawsuit prays the court for an order of mandamus directing WAEC to produce a Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, issued under the name Obi Gregory Onwubuase in June 1978. Court processes indicate that WAEC formally denied Abayomi Arabambi’s request on August 11, 2026, citing privacy exemptions under Sections 14(1)(a) and 14(2)(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
In the suit involving the higher institution, the applicant is asking the Federal High Court to compel UNN to produce its certificate register, graduation list, academic transcripts, and Senate degree-award records relating to Degree Certificate No. D000198. The application further seeks an order directing the NYSC to disclose official records linked to NYSC Certificate No. 203495, issued on May 1, 1986, including verification of how the name Peter-Onwubuase appears in the agency’s database.
Court records confirm that while WAEC formally communicated its refusal via a letter dated August 11, 2026, both UNN and the NYSC neither granted the access requests nor offered statutory reasons for withholding the records. The suits contend that the information requested concerns individuals seeking public office and serves the broader public interest of transparency and accountability.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has not yet fixed a date for the hearing of the three suits.