By Peace Udugba
The National Vice Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in the South-West, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, has called on the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential election, alleging discrepancies in the names appearing on the former Anambra State governor’s academic and official documents.
Arabambi made the allegations during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM’s Frontline programme on Monday, claiming that Obi’s West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination documents contain inconsistencies in the arrangement and spelling of his names.
According to him, the alleged discrepancies raise questions about Obi’s identity and should be subjected to legal scrutiny.
Arabambi said he was directly involved in the Labour Party’s 2022 presidential primary in Asaba, Delta State, where Obi emerged as the party’s candidate. He claimed he witnessed Obi’s documentation process and only became aware of the alleged inconsistencies after internal disputes within the party.
He recalled that then Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, persuaded him to convince another aspirant, Oluwadare Fabiyi Joseph, to step down so the primary could proceed with Obi as the sole candidate.
Arabambi further alleged that when he asked Obi whether he possessed qualifications beyond his WAEC certificate, Obi initially indicated that he did not before later presenting additional academic documents.
The LP chieftain claimed Obi’s INEC nomination form bears the name “Peter Gregory Obi,” while his WAEC certificate allegedly carries the name “Obi Gregory Onwubuasi.” He further alleged that the UNN certificate presents another variation of the name and that the NYSC discharge certificate contains additional initials not reflected in the earlier documents.
He argued that the differences are legally significant and should have been supported by a formal affidavit of change of name or name alignment.
Arabambi also questioned the authenticity of the dates on Obi’s university and NYSC certificates, alleging that the UNN certificate was issued on a Saturday while the NYSC discharge certificate was dated May 1, a public holiday in Nigeria.
He further claimed that Obi’s WAEC results did not appear to meet the admission requirements for studying Philosophy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, although he provided no documentary evidence during the interview.
The Labour Party chieftain also referred to an alleged past incident involving Obi at a United Kingdom airport, claiming it was linked to identity issues arising from different names on his documents. He did not provide details or evidence to substantiate the allegation.
Arabambi said he intends to pursue the matter through the courts, insisting that the alleged inconsistencies warrant judicial examination.
He also cited a previous remark attributed to Obi, in which the former presidential candidate reportedly said he would withdraw from the presidential race if evidence of corruption or other serious shortcomings was established against him. Arabambi argued that the issues he raised exceeded that threshold.
While denying that he was attempting to stop Obi from exercising his constitutional right to contest elections, Arabambi maintained that public office seekers should be held to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.
As of the time of filing this report, Peter Obi had not publicly responded to the allegations made by Arabambi during the radio interview.
