News
2027: Obi’s credentials under probe as LP chieftain sues WAEC, UNN, NYSC
…seeks an order of mandamus to compel release of original certificates
The credentials of the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, appear to be under scrutiny, as three separate suits before the Federal High Court in Abuja seek to compel the release of his original certificates.
The legal actions are seeking orders of mandamus against the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), compelling them to make available to an applicant copies of certificates issued to the NDC candidate.
The suits, filed by a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Abayomi Arabambi, were predicated on the alleged refusal of the affected federal institutions to release details of Mr. Obi’s academic record in their custody, in line with the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
While the suit against WAEC, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2064/2026, and the one against NYSC, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2063/2026, were filed on September 1, the action against UNN, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2144/2026, was filed on September 9.
The plaintiff, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Anderson Asemota, said he is not asking the court to determine whether the certificates the NDC presidential flag-bearer attached to the Form EC 9 he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 presidential election were “genuine or forged,” but is only seeking disclosure of the respondents’ official records “from which the status and particulars of the certificates may be ascertained.”
Arabambi told the court that he had written separately to the institutions demanding information concerning the certificates he believed they had issued to Obi.
He said his requests were not attended to, nor was there any explanation from the respondents as to why the information he sought could not be released.
According to the plaintiff, the information he is seeking is in the public interest and serves “purposes of transparency and accountability concerning persons seeking public office.”
Specifically, he is praying the court to compel WAEC, through an order of mandamus, to release to him a Certified True Copy (CTC) of WAEC Certificate No. SC042560, issued to Obi Gregory Onwubuase in June 1978.
The plaintiff is also praying the court to compel UNN to release to him the university’s certificate register, academic records, graduation records, Senate/degree-award records, and other existing official records relevant to Certificate No. D000198, insofar as such records exist.
“The applicant is not asking this court, in this proceeding, to pronounce that Certificate No. D000198 is genuine or forged.
“Rather, to ascertain what the university’s own official records disclose concerning the certificate,” he added.
Likewise, he urged the court to order NYSC to grant him access to official records relating to “NYSC Certificate No. 203495, stated to have been issued to Obi, Gregory Peter-Onwubuase (Mr.), on May 1, 1986,”
as well as the release of “any official record, certificate, document, or other material upon which the said Certificate No. 203495 was predicated, based, or issued, insofar as the same is in the custody, possession, or control of the respondents.”
“The request further sought information concerning the manner in which the name ‘Peter-Onwubuase’ appears in the relevant NYSC records.”
Court processes revealed that while WAEC, on August 11, declined the plaintiff’s request, citing the provisions of Sections 14(1)(a) and 14(2)(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, both UNN and NYSC neither granted the request nor gave any reason for refusing the application.
Consequently, the plaintiff is asking the court to declare that “the refusal of the respondents to furnish the applicant with the requested information, as communicated in its letter dated 11th August 2026, and in reliance on Section 14(1)(a) and Section 14(2)(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, is erroneous.”
He wants the court to declare that the request he made pursuant to the provisions of the FOI Act, 2011, was valid and ought to have been granted by the affected institutions.
He applied for: “An order of mandamus compelling the respondents to communicate to the applicant the result of a verification of the particulars of Certificate No. D000198 from the university’s existing official records, including whether the said certificate and/or its particulars appear in those records.”
“An order of mandamus compelling the respondents to communicate to the applicant the result of their verification of Certificate No. 203495 as disclosed by their official records.”
“An order directing the respondents, if they contend that any part of the requested information is exempt from disclosure, to identify the particular information withheld and the precise statutory provision relied upon for the refusal, and to disclose all severable non-exempt portions.”
Also, “an order pursuant to Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act directing disclosure of the requested information where this Honourable Court finds that the respondents are not authorised to deny access, have no reasonable grounds for denying access, or that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the interest served by withholding it.”
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suits. (Vanguard)
Six mourners are reportedly missing after a boat carrying more 70 people capsized on the Buruku River in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday.
The incident reportedly occurred around 11am as the mourners, who were from neighbouring Gboko Local Government Area, were returning from a burial ceremony.
The Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege, confirmed the incident, saying the boat’s engine reportedly developed a fault while it was on the river.
According to him, the occupants struggled to manoeuvre the boat and remain afloat before another boat arrived to rescue them.
He said the boat was overloaded and the occupants reportedly panicked as they encountered water waves, causing the vessel to sink.
Zege said, “There are over 70 people on board but we have not seen about six persons.”
The chairman also expressed concern over compliance with safety measures among commuters using the river crossing, noting that authorities had provided life jackets but enforcement had been difficult because some passengers complained that wearing them was uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Denis Iyaghigba, said preliminary reports indicated that a strong water current swept the boat into an abandoned barge at a corner of the river, causing it to overturn.
Iyaghigba urged families and members of the public to remain calm while authorities continued efforts to establish the facts and locate those still missing.
He said he had directed boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and support the ongoing search and rescue operation.
A funeral ceremony in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, reportedly turned tragic on Friday after a pastor collapsed and died while delivering a sermon on the certainty of death.
The cleric was identified as Deacon Steve Eyo, the Resident Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Aleto.
He was preaching before more than 300 mourners when he suddenly collapsed as he was concluding his message.
Eyo’s sermon was titled “The Certainty of Death and Hope Beyond.”
According to eyewitness accounts cited by multiple local news outlets, he began preaching at about 1:10 p.m., speaking about the inevitability of death and urging those present to live their lives with the awareness that nobody knows when death will come.
In illustrating his message, the pastor reportedly compared life to going to the market, explaining that some people leave early while others remain until later, just as some people die young while others live longer.
About 15 minutes into the sermon, at approximately 1:25 p.m., Eyo reportedly collapsed while rounding off his message.
His sudden fall initially confused some mourners, with eyewitnesses saying some thought the pastor was demonstrating the suddenness of death as part of his sermon.
The situation quickly became clear, however, as church ministers, choir members and others rushed to his aid.
People at the scene reportedly prayed for him while individuals with medical knowledge attempted to administer first aid.
He was subsequently taken to a nearby medical facility in the same ambulance that had been hired to convey the remains of the deceased person whose burial was taking place.
He was reportedly confirmed dead at the hospital, after which his remains were taken to a mortuary.
The circumstances surrounding Eyo’s death have not been publicly established in the reports reviewed, and no specific medical cause of death was disclosed.
However, the timing of the incident has left mourners and members of the Aleto community deeply shocked because of the subject of his final sermon.
According to eyewitness accounts, Eyo had urged the congregation to “number your days and prepare, for it can happen anytime” shortly before he collapsed.
The incident transformed what had begun as a solemn farewell for one deceased person into another moment of mourning, as attendees were confronted with the sudden death of the minister delivering the funeral sermon.p pm
Mahmoud Adam, a suspected militant allegedly linked to deadly attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has reportedly been arrested in Plateau State.
The arrest was disclosed in an exclusive report published on Friday by the US-based Daily Caller, which identified Adam as an alleged secret leader of the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) operating in Plateau State and surrounding parts of the Middle Belt.
According to the report, Adam was arrested in the early hours of September 12 at his compound in Plateau State, where he was known as a prominent Fulani community leader.
A former US intelligence officer with expertise in Islamist terrorism reportedly confirmed Adam’s alleged role in FEM, while Nigerian journalist Masara Kim of Truth Nigeria was also cited as having reported evidence allegedly linking him to deadly attacks in Plateau State.
The Daily Caller said information from a whistleblower indicated that Adam had previously established contacts with senior Nigerian military figures and had allegedly received high-value gifts from military officers.
The report also alleged that a serving senator had intervened in 2024 to secure Adam’s release following an earlier arrest.
The senator, Shehu Buba, has previously denied allegations of links to criminal networks. Separate reports said photographs showing Buba and Adam together have emerged, prompting calls for further investigation.
The Daily Caller reported that Adam was previously released from custody several days after his 2024 arrest following the alleged intervention.
Photographs cited by the publication reportedly show Adam meeting a Nigerian major general in 2023. According to the account accompanying the photographs, the military officer handed over five motorcycles to Adam and associates as part of efforts described as aimed at restoring peace in Plateau State.
The latest arrest comes amid renewed security concerns in Plateau State, where several communities have experienced deadly attacks in recent weeks. Local reports have linked some of the violence to armed groups, although attribution for individual attacks remains subject to confirmation by security authorities.
Reports of Adam’s arrest have also generated reactions in the United States. US Representative Riley Moore welcomed the reported arrest, describing it as evidence of increased US-Nigeria security cooperation, while the circumstances surrounding the allegations against Adam remain subject to official investigation and clarification.
As of the latest reports, the Nigerian security agencies had not publicly released a detailed statement outlining the charges against Adam or the evidence being relied upon in the investigation.
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