The claim that Prof. Ogban was convicted for rigging in favour of Akpabio is unfounded and mischievous
The allegations that convicted Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officer Prof. Peter Ogban rigged the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election in favor of Senator Godswill Akpabio have been refuted by Senator Godswill Akpabio, who served as an assistant to the President of the Senate.
A statement was released to journalists in Abuja yesterday by Mr. Anietie Ekong, who served as Chief Press Secretary to Akpabio during his term as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
In the statement, Mr. Ekong condemned the claims as being untrue, spiteful, and part of an ongoing campaign to damage the image of the Senate President.
“For the umpteenth time, the claim that Prof. Ogban was convicted for rigging in favour of Akpabio is unfounded and mischievous. On the contrary, Akpabio was the victim of electoral fraud.”
Ekong made reference to reports that were published by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and stated that Professor Ogban, who teaches Soil Science at the University of Calabar, was given a sentence of three years in prison by an Akwa Ibom High Court for manipulating election results during the 2019 senatorial elections.
His emphasis was on the fact that the falsified results were against Akpabio and not in his favor. He brought attention to the fact that 61,329 votes from Essien Udim Local Government Area, which is considered to be Akpabio’s stronghold, were compiled but never released.
“Ogban, who served as the returning officer for the senatorial district, joined the Resident Electoral Commissioner in cancelling Akpabio’s votes across various polling units and collation centres. It is ironic and misleading to suggest that someone who suppressed Akpabio’s votes was working for him.”
He added that the National Assembly Election Tribunal and Court of Appeal nullified the 2019 election and ordered a rerun in Essien Udim LGA, supporting Akpabio’s electoral fraud charges.
A beneficiary of the fraud, Akpabio would not have pursued legal redress up to the Court of Appeal, which ordered the rerun, Ekong said. Ekong claimed that Ogban’s conviction proves justice, accusing Akpabio’s political opponents of slandering him due to their own credibility issues.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Prof. Ogban never declared Akpabio the winner of any election. Instead, he unlawfully cancelled his votes and declared the PDP candidate the winner.
“Senator Akpabio has since moved on and remains focused on his responsibilities as Senate President. These baseless allegations will not distract him from his commitment to national service.”