JUST IN: Appeal Court Confirms Jail Term for Professor Who Rigged Election for Senate President Akpabio

The Court of Appeal in Calabar has upheld the conviction and three-year jail term of Professor Peter Ogban, who was sentenced in 2021 for falsifying election results to benefit Senator Godswill Akpabio during the 2019 general elections. Ogban, a professor of soil science at the University of Calabar and a returning officer for the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district, was found guilty by a State High Court in Uyo for manipulating results in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo local government areas.

A lawyer involved in the case confirmed to newsmen that the appellate court condemned Ogban’s actions, particularly highlighting the gravity of his misconduct as a university professor entrusted with public responsibility. The rigging occurred during an election in which Akpabio, now President of the Nigerian Senate and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chris Ekpenyong. Akpabio later contested and won a subsequent election in 2023.

INEC prosecuted Ogban in the case, which has been described as a landmark decision in the fight against electoral fraud. Ogban admitted during trial that about 5,000 fake votes were added to the APC’s tally in Oruk Anam to skew the outcome in favour of Akpabio. Despite pleading for leniency, the presiding judge, Justice Augustine Odokwo, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and insisted the law must take its course.

This case mirrors a similar recent conviction of another academic, Professor Ignatius Uduk of the University of Uyo, who was also sentenced to three years in prison for falsifying results in favour of an APC candidate during the 2019 elections. Uduk, who served as a returning officer in Essien Udim State Constituency, was convicted on charges of announcing false results, publishing fake outcomes, and committing perjury. He was later granted bail by the court.