₦airaland Forum

FACT-CHECK: Is Peter Obi parading a fake university degree certificate? Here are our findings

The academic credentials of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), have been a subject of controversy since 2023, when he contested the presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

Political opponents and social media critics have claimed that the university degree certificate he parades is fake.

The assertion is anchored on the argument that Mr Obi could not have been admitted to study Philosophy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), without obtaining at least a credit in English Language and Mathematics in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination.

Also, claims have surfaced regarding discrepancies between the name he is publicly known by and the names appearing on his UNN degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates.

The allegation resurfaced in June and July after Abayomi Arabambi, the national vice chairman (South-West) of the Labour Party faction led by Lamidi Apapa, appeared on News Central TV and a social media television platform, where he displayed copies of Mr Obi’s degree certificate alongside other academic records and alleged that they were not genuine.

“You and I know … that you cannot study Philosophy with a pass in English Language and Mathematics. See the thing: your brother used to enter university and you can Google it whether you can study philosophy with three credits,” he said.

He referred listeners to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s website, which, he said, shows that a prospective student must have five credits including English and Mathematics to be admitted for Philosophy.

“I studied Engineering; English and Mathematics are compulsory. That means he entered that school with three credits out of five required for studying philosophy,” Mr Arabambi said during the interview.

Checking the claims
To fact-check the claim, PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Arabambi to obtain copies of the academic credentials he referenced during the interview. He obliged and shared copies of the documents with our reporter.

The WAEC certificate referenced by the Labour Party chief shows the bearer’s name as Obi Gregory Onwubuasi.

The certificate also shows that the candidate sat the ‘Joint Examination for the School Certificate and General Certificate Examination (GCE)’ at Christ The King College, Onitsha, Anambra State in June 1978.

According to the result details on the certificate, the candidate received Grade 8, equivalent to pass, in English Language and Mathematics.

He scored Grade 7, also equivalent to a pass, in Government and Chemistry.

He scored Grade 6, equivalent to a credit, in Biology and Geography.

He scored Grade 5, equivalent to a credit, in Literature-in-English and Religious Knowledge, and

In Economics, he received Grade 3, equivalent to good.

Following this, in July, PREMIUM TIMES wrote to the UNN, invoking the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, to confirm whether its records showed that Mr Obi was admitted to study Philosophy with the results on the school certificate.

The letter also sought to know if, with those results, Mr Obi met the minimum O’Level requirements for admission into the university’s Philosophy undergraduate programme at the time.

This newspaper also sought to know whether there were alternative admission pathways, exemptions, remedial programmes or equivalent qualifications that could have enabled a candidate to gain admission despite not having at least a credit in English Language and Mathematics.

Ultimately, the letter asked the university to confirm if Mr Obi completed his undergraduate studies and graduated, and to authenticate the degree certificate credited to him.

The WAEC certificate in question and a copy of the UNN degree certificate issued to Mr Obi were attached to the letter for ease of reference


The findings
In the university’s reply to PREMIUM TIMES’ FOI request, the registrar’s office confirmed Mr Obi’s admission to study Philosophy and authenticated his degree certificate.

In the response dated 26 August and signed by Eseme Obiora, a senior deputy registrar, the UNN confirmed that Mr Obi was duly admitted to study Philosophy in 1980.

“Mr. Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi was duly admitted by the University Authority to study Philosophy in the Faculty of the Social Science on September 03, 1980, with registration number 80/26333 and reference number in his admission letter was JAMB/ICMS/80 and Serial No. 07928, signed by one M. Shehu for JAMB Registrar (Annexure B Letter dated 3rd September, 1980). Admission,” the letter read.

Authenticating the degree copy of certificate presented by PREMIUM TIMES as duly issued to Mr Obi upon completion of his undergraduate programme, the university wrote that “the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with Second Class Honours Lower Division dated 15th December, 1984 emanated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and was awarded to him by the University Senate with the Certificate No D000198.”

On the question of whether Mr Obi’s O’Level qualifications qualified him for admission at the time, UNN answered in the affirmative.

The university confirmed that Mr Obi met the O’Level requirements, adding that there were no alternative admission pathways, exemptions, remedial programmes or equivalent qualifications involved in his admission.

“The O’Level Certificate Mr. Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi presented fulfilled and/or met the requirement prescribed by the University Entrance Board during the time and was therefore admitted to study Philosophy.

“There were no alternative admission pathways, exemptions, remedial programmes or equivalent qualification that Mr. Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi took before he was admitted to study Philosophy by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was qualified ab initio,” it said.

The university further confirmed that Mr Obi, whose full name was given as Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi, was admitted to study Philosophy in the Faculty of Social Sciences on 3 September 1980.

Confirming that Mr Obi met the O’Level requirements for admission, the letter said the presidential candidate combined two WAEC results – the publicised one from the June 1978 examinations and the less known one from the November/December 1978.


Yes, Mr. Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi was admitted into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to study Philosophy with his West African Examination Council (WAEC) date June 1978 Appendix C” result, the WAEC Number 04104138 and another Nov/Dec GCE 1978 result combined that qualified him to be admitted to study Philosophy.”

Verdict
The claim that Mr Obi is parading a fake university degree certificate is false.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, which issued the certificate, has authenticated it and confirmed that Mr Obi was duly admitted to study Philosophy in 1980 and subsequently awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) in 1984.

The university also confirmed that the O’Level qualifications he presented, comprising his WAEC results from the June 1978 examinations and But PREMIUM TIMES has yet to ascertain the details of Mr Obi’s November/December 1978 GCE results.

The UNN registrar’s office misleadingly indicated in the letter sent to PREMIUM TIMES that copies of both results and other supporting documents were attached as annexures.

None of those documents were sent with the letter to PREMIUM TIMES as indicated. Frantic efforts to draw the attention of the Chief Registrar, Ngozi Nnebedum, and her office to the omission – urging them to resend the letter with the attached documents – have been futile.

Mrs Nnebedum and her office ignored this newspaper’s e-mails requesting the missing details. The registrar subsequently ignored PREMIUM TIMES’ repeated phone calls. When she finally answered our call on Monday, she expressed surprise that the annexures were omitted and promised to re-send them. But she neither kept the promise nor answered subsequent calls.

In the first place, it took repeated phone calls across weeks for Mrs Nnebedum to respond to the FOI request.

On Tuesday, Mr Obi welcomed public scrutiny of his academic credentials in a social media post, and urged other presidential candidates to submit themselves to such examination by interested members of the public.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/909693-fact-check-is-peter-obi-parading-a-fake-university-degree-certificate-here-are-our-findings.html

AMINDA:
What wouldn't Tinubu do for IMF, Worldbank and US commendations? Never has it been this bad. The only commendation that matter should be that of the Nigerian people. We are not House Negroes.

God Bless Federal Republic of Nigeria

President Trump and President Tinubu will soon meet - Atiku lobby firm cries out

https://x.com/DeeOneAyekooto/status/2099783456053960852

U.S COMMENDS NIGERIA ON REMOVAL OF 12-YEAR CONDITION OF ENTRY

The United States Government has commended Nigeria for its sustained maritime security reforms, which led to the lifting of the 12-year Condition of Entry imposed on vessels visiting the United States from Nigeria, saying the development will deliver tangible benefits to shipping operators, reduce shipping costs and strengthen trade between the two countries.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, the U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia Jr., congratulates Nigeria on the milestone, describing it as evidence of the country’s “sustained strengthening of port security and anti-terrorism compliance.”

He says The United States values its maritime and economic partnerships with Nigeria and looks forward to continued collaboration in promoting secure, efficient, and mutually beneficial trade between our nations.

Speaking on the development, Minister of Marine and Economy, credited President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and strategic support for the milestone, particularly the administration’s decision to prioritise the marine and blue economy as a key pillar of Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda.

The letter provides a fresh endorsement from Washington following the United States Coast Guard’s decision, announced in August, to lift the long-standing security restriction on vessels arriving in the United States from Nigeria.



https://x.com/instablog9ja/status/2099467247580238077

Tinubu edges Obi by 1,067 responses in Oxford-Metro poll

President Bola Tinubu finished ahead of Peter Obi by 1,067 responses in the Oxford–Metro Analytics’ National Trust Poll.

The ​‌‍‍‍‍⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‍​​‌​poll, which closed on Sept. 7, recorded a total of 69,110 approved and unflagged responses in its final analytical dataset.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/09/tinubu-edges-obi-by-1067-responses-in-oxford-metro-poll/amp/

Aminda

Come and carry your resignation letter o

ADC National Assistant Secretary, Malam Hassan Muhammadu (Babadalan Dukku), dumps ADC, set to join APC.

source

"APC will clear votes in Adamawa...."

Governor Fintiri

"APC will clear votes in Adamawa...."

Governor Fintiri pic.twitter.com/eqe8szmiY3

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) September 11, 2026

Our leaders in Senegal will think it's AI. But we move.

https://x.com/frajatta92/status/2098239008627105895

Today, the rewards I promised our D’Tigress have been fully redeemed.

Each player has received the naira equivalent of $100,000, while each official has received the equivalent of $50,000, completing their package of cash rewards, national honours and three-bedroom homes in… pic.twitter.com/T6a76z0fsy

— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) September 10, 2026

Lithiumite:
Aminda!! Are your stones coming from China or what,we haven't seen any since apc started serving you hot.......better go start go fund me for your atiku to raise money for his campaigns......that seems to be the only hope he as as there are no more buhari cabals to finance his campaigns and back him up against tinubu.......still waiting to condemn the uniforms......but that rally alone has added money to the local economy,shirt and cap sellers, printers,mobilisers,food sellers,pure water sellers,merchandise hawkers,even transporters......and you claim ur atiku is coming to uplift the people.

God Bless Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Committee, Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, has called on the people of Zamfara State to deliver a total block vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 general elections.

The Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Committee, Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, has called on the people of Zamfara State to deliver a total block vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 general elections. pic.twitter.com/mijx1mIPeG

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) September 11, 2026

Ijebu Ode stands still for President Bola Tinubu YAYI and DAPO ABIODUN

Ijebu Ode stands still for YAYI and DAPO ABIODUN pic.twitter.com/TNsyaP9XUR

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) September 10, 2026

From Issac Fayose Gospel Truth ….Peter Obi is a C0ward for Turning back ..
Someone that claimed he’s ready to Die for Nigeria 🇳🇬

From Issac Fayose Gospel Truth ….Peter Obi is a C0ward for Turning back ..
Someone that claimed he’s ready to Die for Nigeria 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/RtU2p1LNgl

— Eze Chinechendo 11 , in Anaocha (@olusayofunmi7) September 8, 2026

BREAKING: APC withdraws petition challenging Adeleke’s re-election victory

https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-apc-withdraws-petition-challenging-adelekes-re-election-victory/

This should be condemned by all and sundries Not Good for the politics

God Bless President Bola Tinubu
God Bless Federal Republic of Nigeria

See how Benue people pursued Obi away

See how Benue people pursued Obi away from turning their collective pain to his selfish gain.

Won le werey danu bi eran 😂 pic.twitter.com/GvbXC6faiM

— A. Ayofe (@abdullahayofel) September 8, 2026

APC held massive rally September 6 in Abia.

Source

Former Vice President Atiku’s lobbyist, Karl Von Batten, has deleted his social media post in which he announced that United States President Donald Trump appointed him as a commissioner to a White House presidential commission.

Checks on the verified X account of his firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., where the post was published, show that the post is no longer available.

Von Batten’s firm had earlier announced that President Trump appointed its managing partner as a commissioner, but Sunday Dare, one of President Tinubu’s media aides, downplayed the announcement, saying that the appointment was to the Commission on Presidential Scholars, an education panel administered by the United States Department of Education.

https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/05/atikus-lobbyist-deletes-trump-appointment-post-after-tinubu-aides-comment/

Omo……This is just a mini rally in Kano ooo

Guess how massive a mega rally will be 😳

I trust our Arewa people.

The love for Tinubu and APC remains intact……… Atiku eyes go blurry 👇🔥

Omo……This is just a mini rally in Kano ooo

Guess how massive a mega rally will be 😳

I trust our Arewa people.

The love for Tinubu and APC remains intact……… Atiku eyes go blurry 👇🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/MXWCq2fB0x

— A. Ayofe (@abdullahayofel) September 5, 2026

APC’S STRIDES IN THE NORTH

Take a look at this massive crowd at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano this morning for an APC mini-rally organised by the Tinubu Support Group (TSG).

Just one of the thousands of Tinubu support groups. Just one.

Imagine if City Boy Movement, Tinubu Support Organisation, Asiwaju/Shettima Voice Agenda, Arewa4Asiwaju, Tinubu Reporters, and many other support groups decided to come together to hold a mega rally.

Chai! Tinubu has already won this election before Election Day! 😂🔥

APC’S STRIDES IN THE NORTH

Take a look at this massive crowd at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano this morning for an APC mini-rally organised by the Tinubu Support Group (TSG).

Just one of the thousands of Tinubu support groups. Just one.

Imagine if City Boy Movement, Tinubu… pic.twitter.com/TsfskDL6M7

— Habibu Bello Mayana (@HBMayana_) September 5, 2026

Svoboda:
Are you new to the English language that you don't know the definition of crying?

You are still crying
God Bless Federal Republic of Nigeria

Kachalla scammed by fake scammer with fake names and fake life with nairaland propagating fake news

Atiku’s Lobbyist Appointed to Unpaid Students’ Honours Panel, Not White House Policymaking Position


Atiku Abubakar’s United States lobbyist, Nigerian born Karl Okeke Von Batten, was appointed to an unpaid education commission and not a White House policymaking position, Per Second News gathered in Washington, D.C., on Friday morning.

An investigation has identified the previously undisclosed presidential commission to which Von Batten was appointed by US President Donald Trump.

Von Batten, whose full name has appeared in public records as Karl Marx Edward Ikemefuna William George Okeke Von Batten, announced on September 3 that Trump had appointed him as a commissioner on a “White House presidential commission.”

The announcement attracted considerable attention in Nigeria because his firm is working for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar under a reported $1.2 million lobbying and reputation management contract.

However, the statement did not identify the commission, explain his responsibilities or provide an official appointment letter. No corresponding announcement was immediately found on the White House website.

Checks have now established that the body is the Commission on Presidential Scholars, which is administered by the United States Department of Education.

The commission reviews finalists and selects graduating high school students for recognition under the US Presidential Scholars Program. It has no role in American foreign policy, national security, intelligence, diplomacy or relations with Nigeria.

Trump administration officials who spoke with Per Second News clarified that the appointment does not make Von Batten a White House official or give him policymaking authority.

The position is unpaid. Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the President, receive no compensation from the US government and do not require Senate confirmation.

https://persecondnews.com/2026/09/04/atikus-lobbyist-appointed-to-unpaid-students-honours-panel-not-white-house-policymaking-position/

Svoboda:
Bindow doesn't have political levels. A sitting governor who didn't only lose 2nd term, Binani even used him to wipe floor when he wanted to come back. So, if you want to boast, use more grounded politicians to boast.

So why are you crying over irrelevant people?

EponObi:
How did Atiku lose a former governor in his own state?

He lost the current governor too

So op doesn't know that the University belongs to Bayelsa State Govt?

Remember, Governor only has one vote...Wailer

Governor Fintiri of Adamawa and Former Governor Bindow of Adamawa for THE JAGABAN

Governor Fintiri of Adamawa and Former Governor Bindow of Adamawa for THE JAGABAN pic.twitter.com/cwHeZMFDfk

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) September 3, 2026

givedemwotowoto:
They’re all determined to deceive Tinubu till the end

So why are you crying?

AMINDA:
Why call him an ADC chieftain when he has already been procured by a desperate Tunubu? He joined the ADC looking for a free ticket, missed out and is now back to the APC. Many of the gubernatorial aspirants will still be campaigning for Atiku in the presidential elections in order to stand a chance to win their own re-election. Go and verify. Bindow couldn't even win his re-election for a second term.

He is still ADC Chieftain. Have you seen his resignation letter?

APC will win Kaduna State 100% at all levels......"

Christopher Musa, Defence Minister

"APC will win Kaduna State 100% at all levels......"

Christopher Musa, Defence Minister pic.twitter.com/yD8qk6vrhs

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) September 3, 2026