A Labour Party chieftain, Abayomi Arabambi, has sued the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, over its alleged refusal to release details of Peter Obi’s academic records. Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress.

Arabambi said he requested a certified true copy of certificate number D000198, said to have been issued to Obi for a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1984. He made the request under the Freedom of Information Act but claimed the university failed to respond within the required time.

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the applicant is seeking an order of mandamus to compel the university and its vice-chancellor to provide the documents. He also requested related academic and institutional records linked to the degree.

According to the court papers, the initial request was delivered in August, followed by a reminder in early September. Arabambi stated that the university neither supplied the records nor issued a formal written notice of refusal.

He argued that as a public institution, the university has a duty under the Freedom of Information Act to respond to such requests. The case has not yet been assigned to a judge.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper