Labour Party Disowns Arabambi Over Suit on Obi’s Academic Records

By Praise Chinecherem

The Labour Party (LP) has disowned Abayomi Arabambi, distancing itself from the litigant reportedly challenging the academic records of former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi in court.

The party said Arabambi is no longer a member of the Labour Party, having been among 25 members suspended over alleged infractions bordering on anti-party activities.

In a statement issued on Monday, LP National Publicity Secretary, Ken Eluma Asogwa, said the party was compelled to clarify Arabambi’s status after reports described him as an LP chieftain who instituted a suit involving the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), over Obi’s academic records.

Asogwa said the party initially declined to respond to the reports, but changed its position after the story was published by mainstream media organisations.

The statement said, “The Labour Party wishes to notify the general public that Abayomi Arabambi is not a member of the Labour Party.”

According to the party, its National Executive Council (NEC) suspended 25 members on March 18, 2026, over alleged infractions bordering on anti-party activities. Arabambi was listed among those affected, it said.

The suspension was subsequently ratified by the party’s National Convention on April 28, 2026, which the LP described as its highest decision-making organ.

“Following the said ratification, the affected members ceased to be members of the Party,” Asogwa stated, adding that no organ of the party had since revisited or reversed the decision concerning the affected former members.

The LP therefore rejected any suggestion that Arabambi instituted the court action in his capacity as a representative or chieftain of the party.

The party further warned that if Arabambi had presented himself publicly as an LP chieftain or representative, such representation was “entirely unauthorised” and, prima facie, could amount to impersonation.

The party said its lawyers were currently reviewing the matter to determine what legal and other steps should be taken, including the possibility of petitioning relevant law enforcement authorities.

However, the LP stressed that its statement should not be interpreted as taking a position on the substance of Arabambi’s claims concerning Obi’s academic records.

“The Labour Party nonetheless hopes that this statement has put the matter in its proper perspective and, most importantly, clarified the status of Abayomi Arabambi vis-à-vis the Labour Party,” the statement added.

The party also noted that Peter Obi is no longer a member of the Labour Party, stressing that its intervention was limited to clarifying its relationship with Arabambi and did not amount to an endorsement or rejection of the claims before the court.

The development comes amid renewed public attention to Obi’s academic credentials ahead of the 2027 political season, with the Labour Party insisting that Arabambi’s reported legal action should not be linked to the party.

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