An Akwa Ibom High Court, on Thursday, sentenced INEC Returning Officer and soil scientist, Professor Peter Ogban, to three years in prison.
Peter Ogban was found guilty of manipulating the 2019 Akwa Ibom Central Senatorial election result in which Goodwill Akpabio of APC ran against Ekpeyong of PDP.
Among the offenses are publishing and announcing of false results by manipulating the election results of two local government areas – Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo.
In a previous court session, Mr Ogban had told the court how the results of the election were falsified to give the All Progressives Congress (APC) an unfair advantage over its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
For instance, some 5,000 fake votes were added to the APC’s score in Oruk Anam, in the election.
The university lecturer, before his sentencing, pleaded for mercy from the judge, Augustine Odokwo.
Justice Odokwo, who described the case as a novel one, said there was not much he could do other than to let the law take its course.
He said the prosecution was able to prove its case against Ogban, beyond any reasonable doubt.
In a similar case, a professor of Human Kinetics in the Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Uyo, Ignatius Uduk, has also been charged for election fraud in Akwa Ibom State.
He is accused of unlawful generation of election results in favour of PDP in Essien Udim State Constituency election in 2019 and lying under oath.
Uduk was remanded in custody in December after the court issued a warrant for his arrest.
This is the first time INEC is prosecuting professors for electoral fraud.
