Senate President Godswill Akpabio has firmly distanced himself from Professor Peter Ogban, a former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official who was convicted of electoral fraud in Akwa Ibom State. Akpabio described allegations linking him to Ogban’s actions as “false, malicious, and politically motivated.”
In a statement released on Wednesday by Anietie Ekong, Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the Senate President, Akpabio refuted claims that Ogban rigged the 2019 senatorial election in his favor under the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Senate President characterized the narrative as a “deliberate distortion of facts” aimed at damaging his reputation.
“For the record, as I clarified when I served as Chief Press Secretary during Senator Akpabio’s tenure as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, the claims regarding Prof. Ogban’s actions benefiting Akpabio are baseless and unfounded,” Ekong stated.
Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar, was sentenced to three years in prison by an Akwa Ibom State High Court after being found guilty of manipulating the results of the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District election held on February 23, 2019.
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Contrary to the accusations, Akpabio maintains that he was, in fact, a victim of the electoral fraud. According to the statement, Ogban, who served as the Returning Officer for the district, cancelled over 61,000 of Akpabio’s votes—primarily from his home local government area, Essien Udim—without justification. These votes were neither declared nor counted toward the final tally, prompting Akpabio to challenge the results at the election tribunal.
Both the National Assembly Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal subsequently invalidated the original outcome and ordered a rerun in Essien Udim LGA.
“The conviction of Ogban only vindicates Senator Akpabio and the APC,” the statement added. “Had he benefited from the fraud, he would not have pursued legal redress all the way to the Court of Appeal, which eventually ordered a rerun.”
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The Senate President’s office dismissed claims that Ogban worked on Akpabio’s behalf, noting that Ogban’s actions directly undermined the APC candidate’s performance. “It defies logic to suggest that someone who annulled Akpabio’s lawfully earned votes was working in his interest,” Ekong said.
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The statement concluded by affirming Akpabio’s commitment to his duties as Senate President and described recent allegations as the work of “political mischief-makers” who remain unsettled by the fallout of the 2019 election.
“Senator Akpabio has moved on. He is focused on his national responsibilities and will not be distracted by a campaign of calumny from those yet to recover from their own electoral manipulations,” it stated.
