LP member takes UNN to court over Peter Obi’s academic records

A member of the Labour Party (LP), Abayomi Arabambi, has taken the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to court. He claims the university is not releasing Peter Obi’s academic records.

Arabambi filed a new lawsuit after asking for a certified true copy (CTC) of Obi’s certificate number D000198. This certificate is for a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy that was issued in 1984. He made this request based on the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, but the university did not respond.

The court document, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, was filed by his lawyer, Anderson Asemota, on 9 September at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Arabambi stated that he had sent letters to the university regarding this matter.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that in the court documents, Arabambi, who was a former factional spokesperson for LP, named the Vice-Chancellor (VC) and UNN as the first and second respondents.

He is asking the court to issue an order of mandamus. This order would force the respondents to fulfill their duty under the FoI Act, 2011. He wants them to respond to his request dated 16 July as required by the Act.

In his affidavit, Arabambi stated that he sent a letter on 16 July 2026. In this letter, he asked for a CTC of Certificate No. D000198, which was given to Obi by UNN when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 1984.

“The applicant also requested a Certified True Copy of the certificate, academic record or other official records upon which the said degree was based,” he said.

According to him, the request was delivered and received by the respondents on 6 August 2026. He said that he made the request under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and explained the public interest behind it.

He pointed out that the respondents did not provide the information within the time required by the Act. Arabambi said they also failed to give him a written notice explaining why they refused his request.

“Consequently, the applicant sent a reminder letter on 31 August 2026. This letter repeated the original request and asked for the records again,” he stated.

He confirmed that the reminder was delivered and received by the respondents on 1 September 2026. He provided evidence of the delivery receipt.

Arabambi stated that the receipt showed the VC received the reminder at UNN. He added that since this action started, the respondents have not provided the requested records or given a proper notice of refusal.

He is asking for 19 different reliefs from the court.

Arabambi wants the court to declare that his request under the FoI Act, 2011, “constitutes a valid request for information within the contemplation of the Freedom of Information Act.”

He is seeking an order of mandamus that would force the respondents to give him a CTC of certificate number D000198 if it exists with them.

Arabambi also wants the court to order them to provide the CTC of all official academic records related to the degree and certificate, including various documents he listed.

He mentioned documents such as the relevant academic record, graduation record, and other official records that the degree relies on.

Arabambi believes he has a right to access information held by public institutions. He said the respondents must follow the FoI Act.

He explained that the information he requested is about a certificate that UNN issued. He argues that the respondents are the institution that holds the official records relevant to his request.

Arabambi stated that Section 4 of the Act requires them to respond within a specific time frame, which they did not meet.

“The respondents did not communicate a lawful refusal, identifying any applicable exemption. This failure is a refusal under the Act,” he concluded.

NAN reported that at the heart of Arabambi’s complaint are the various names of Mr Obi found in documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and educational authorities.

The case is still waiting to be assigned to a judge.