An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Ikot Ekpene has sentenced Peter Ogban, a professor of soil science at the University of Calabar, to three years in prison for manipulation election results.
Ogban was the returning officer in the Senatorial Election held in Akwa Ibom north-west in 2019.
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On count one, the presiding judge, Augustine Odokwo ordered him to pay a fine of N100,000 while on count two he was sentenced to three years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
The university lecturer, before his sentencing, pleaded for mercy from the judge.
Justice Odokwo, who described the case as a novel one, told the lecturer that 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 beyond any reasonable doubt.
The Univerity Don was prosecuted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court found him guilty of altering the results of the election to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Electoral Fraud Among Professors
A lecturer at the University of Uyo, Professor Ignatius Uduk, is also being tried on a three-count bordering on electoral fraud.
The Professor of Human Kinetics in the Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Uyo is accused of unlawful generation of election results in favour of PDP in Essien Udim State Constituency election in 2019 and lying under oath.
He was remanded in custody in December after the court issued a warrant of arrest on him.
The adjournment of his trial was based on a verbal application by the prosecuting counsel to effect a minor amendment on their earlier charges.
He was later granted bail in the sum of N500,000, one surety with landed property in Uyo with a certificate of ownership, and a letter of recognition from a prominent indigene of the state.
