JUST IN: Court Jails Professor For Manipulating Election Result In Favour Of Akpabio

A High Court in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, sentenced a professor of the University of Calabar, Peter Ogban, to three years in prison for announcing false election result during the 2019 general elections.

The professor of science who served as the returning officer in the senatorial election in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in 2019, was said to have manipulated results from Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas.

The prosecutor, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, told the court that Prof Ogban altered the results of the election to favour the All Progressives Congress, APC, against its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The result was manipulated in favour of the APC candidate, Godswill Akpabio who was seeking reelection to the Senate.

Daily Trust reports that in a previous court session, Ogban had told the court how the results of the election were falsified to give the APC an unfair advantage over PDP.

The PDP’s candidate, Chris Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor in Akwa Ibom State, defeated Mr Akpabio in the election which was gripped by pockets of violence.

Akpabio was subsequently appointed as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs by President Muhammadu Buhari.