The Court of Appeal in Calabar has upheld the 2021 conviction of Professor Peter Ogban, who was found guilty of rigging a senatorial election in favor of Godswill Akpabio, the current Senate President.
Professor Ogban, a soil science professor from the University of Calabar and a returning officer during the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election, was initially sentenced to three years in prison by a State High Court in Uyo.
He was convicted for announcing falsified election results in two local government areas, Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo, to benefit Mr. Akpabio.
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The Court of Appeal not only confirmed the conviction and sentence but also expressed strong disapproval of a university professor’s involvement in such electoral manipulation.
During the trial, Professor Ogban admitted to falsifying election results to give the APC, Mr. Akpabio’s party, an unfair advantage over the PDP.
Specifically, he admitted to adding 5,000 fake votes for the APC in Oruk Anam.
In the 2019 election, Mr. Akpabio, who had recently defected from the PDP, was defeated by the PDP candidate, Chris Ekpenyong.3 INEC prosecuted Professor Ogban in this significant case.
Despite Professor Ogban’s plea for mercy, Justice Augustine Odokwo stated that he had to uphold the law, as the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to prove the professor’s guilt.
Additionally, another professor, Ignatius Uduk from the University of Uyo, was also recently sentenced to three years in prison for election fraud related to the 2019 elections.
He was convicted for falsifying results in Essien Udim State Constituency to favor Nse Ntuen, an APC candidate and an ally of Mr. Akpabio.
However, Mr. Uduk has since been granted bail.
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