Labour Party (LP) has distanced itself from Abayomi Arabambi over lawsuits seeking the release of Peter Obi’s academic records, saying he no longer represents the party.
Gatekeepers News reports that Arabambi had filed three separate suits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), alleging that the institutions had failed to release details of Obi’s academic records.
In the suits, Arabambi alleged that there were inconsistencies in Obi’s name across documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and educational institutions.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, Ken Asogwa, LP national publicity secretary, said Arabambi was among 25 members suspended by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) on March 18 over alleged infractions bordering on anti-party activities.
Asogwa said the suspension was subsequently ratified at the party’s national convention on April 28, which he described as the party’s highest decision-making organ.
“The Labour Party wishes to notify the general public that Abayomi Arabambi is not a member of the Labour Party,” the statement said.
The party added that no organ had revisited or reversed the decision concerning the suspended members.
“If Abayomi 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 LP spokesperson also said the party would not comment on the substance of Arabambi’s case because Obi is no longer a member of the Labour Party.
According to Asogwa, the party’s lawyers were reviewing the matter to determine whether further legal action should be taken, including the possibility of filing a petition with law enforcement authorities against Arabambi.
The development comes after reports that Arabambi had approached the court over the alleged refusal by WAEC, NYSC and UNN to release Obi’s records, bringing the issue into fresh political and legal attention.
