Senate President Godswill Akpabio has distanced himself from Professor Peter Ogban, the former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official who was convicted of electoral fraud in 2021.
Ogban was sentenced to three years in prison for manipulating results during the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election—an election Akpabio contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC). The court found Ogban guilty of falsifying figures in favour of the APC, but Akpabio now insists the disgraced official never acted on his behalf.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Anietie Ekong, Akpabio described ongoing reports linking him to Ogban’s actions as “spurious, malicious, and intended to tarnish his image.”
“For the umpteenth time, just like I did when Senator Godswill Akpabio was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, the claim that Prof. Peter Ogban was convicted for rigging in favour of Akpabio is unfounded,” the statement read.
According to the Senate President, he was not the beneficiary of any electoral malpractice in the February 23, 2019 senatorial election, but rather a victim of widespread manipulation that robbed him of victory.
“He is vindicated that the perpetrators of the electoral fraud are being brought to justice. At last, the chickens are coming home to roost,” Ekong said.
Akpabio expressed confidence that others involved in the alleged election manipulation would eventually be exposed, either through judicial processes or what he called “divine intervention.”
Now serving as the nation’s third most powerful political figure, Akpabio said he would not be distracted by what he called the “baseless and unfounded reports by hatchet men and mischief makers.”
The controversy surrounding the 2019 Akwa Ibom senatorial election has remained a touchpoint in discussions on electoral integrity in Nigeria, with Akpabio’s involvement consistently drawing scrutiny despite the conviction of INEC staff.
