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| From L-R: Prof. Peter Ogban, Senator Godswill Akpabio |
By Obio Monday
Minster of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, has denied claims that the jailed University of Calabar lecturer, Professor Peter Ogban, rigged the 2019 Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election in his favour.
The former Senator said, rather, the elections was manipulated in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Recall that a High Court in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday, sentenced Prof. Ogban to three years imprisonment for altering and announcing false election results in favour of Akpabio and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
Prof. Ogban, a professor of soil science, who was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the election, was found guilty on Thursday by the trial court. He however vowed to appeal the judgment.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Aniete Ekong, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, twisted the judgment by claiming that Ogban rigged the poll in his favour.
“In their desperation in a continuing campaign of calumny against Senator Akpabio, the INEC in Akwa Ibom State twisted the context of the judgment and maliciously claimed that the election was rigged in favour of Senator Akpabio.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. The facts of the case put a lie to this assertion.
“Contrarily, Senator Akpabio was a victim of the fraudulent manipulation of the election of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District held on February 23 2019.
“Professor Ogban was the Returning Officer who in a bizarre twist to manipulate the election and rig Senator Akpabio out, hijacked the electoral results of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District from Ikot Ekpene, the Senatorial District headquarters to Uyo where it was announced after cancellations of lawfully collated votes and against the dictates of the Electoral Act.
“The question is: who was the beneficiary of the electoral fraud and manipulation in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District?
“Certainly, not Senator Akpabio, which was why he challenged the outcome of the election up to the Court of Appeal which upheld his appeal and ordered a rerun election with very strong condemnation of the activities of the Returning Officer and INEC. How then could the same man whose actions Senator Akpabio was dissatisfied with and challenged in Court be said to have rigged the election for Senator Akpabio?
He added that:
“For the avoidance of doubt Prof Ogban never announced Senator Akpabio as the winner of any election.”
The Minister stressed that Ogban “cancelled lawful votes” and announced his opponent as the “winner of the manipulated election.”
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