The Labour Party has distanced itself from its former National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, over his legal action seeking access to the academic and service records of the National Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The party said Arabambi no longer had any affiliation with the Labour Party and therefore had no mandate to represent its position in the matter.
In a statement on Monday, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said Arabambi was among 25 members suspended by the party’s National Executive Council in March over alleged anti-party activities.
According to Asogwa, the suspension was later ratified by the party’s National Convention on April 28, 2026, after which the affected individuals ceased to be members of the party.
The clarification followed reports identifying Arabambi as an LP chieftain in connection with three separate suits filed against the West African Examinations Council, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps over Obi’s credentials.
Asogwa said the Labour Party would not comment on the merits of the suits, particularly because Obi was no longer a member of the party, but stressed that Arabambi had no authority to speak or act on its behalf.
He said, “While the Labour Party wishes to refrain from commenting on the substance or otherwise of the litigant’s case before the court, particularly as Mr Peter Obi is not a member of the Party, we wish to notify the general public that Abayomi Arabambi is not a member of the Labour Party.”
The LP spokesman added that no organ of the party had revisited or reversed the decision suspending and subsequently expelling the affected members.
He consequently warned that any attempt by Arabambi to present himself as an official or chieftain of the party was unauthorised.
“If Arabambi has presented himself to the public as a chieftain or representative of the Labour Party, the general public is hereby notified that such representation is entirely unauthorised and, prima facie, amounts to impersonation,” Asogwa said.
The party also disclosed that its lawyers were examining the matter and could pursue legal action, including a petition to relevant law enforcement authorities.
Arabambi had instituted three separate suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking access to records relating to certificates allegedly issued to Obi by WAEC, UNN and the NYSC.
The former LP spokesman, however, maintained that his action was not intended to persuade the court to determine whether the credentials Obi submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 presidential election were genuine or forged.
Rather, Arabambi said he was seeking access to official records from the relevant institutions to establish the status and particulars of the certificates.
The development came shortly after the NDC dismissed the suits and challenged Arabambi to provide evidence suggesting that Obi’s academic credentials were questionable.
Reacting to the litigation, the NDC National Publicity Secretary said in an exclusive interview that Obi possessed a verifiable academic pedigree.
Osa Director also questioned the rationale behind seeking the records, particularly because, according to him, Arabambi had acknowledged that he was not directly challenging the authenticity of Obi’s certificates.
