From Staff Writer
A university lecturer convicted for manipulating election results in favour of a political party has had his conviction upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The appellate court sitting in Calabar on Wednesday upheld the three-year prison sentence handed down to Professor Peter Ogban, a lecturer in Soil Science at the University of Calabar. Ogban was found guilty of falsifying results during the 2019 National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
Professor Ogban, who served as the returning officer for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the poll, was convicted by a State High Court in Uyo in 2021. The court found that he had deliberately altered results from Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo local government areas to give an undue advantage to the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
During the trial, Ogban admitted that figures were manipulated and that approximately 5,000 votes were illegally added to the APC’s tally in Oruk Anam.
While pleading for leniency before sentencing, the disgraced academic asked the court for mercy. However, Justice Augustine Odokwo, who presided over the initial case, maintained that justice must be served, describing the case as novel and the evidence against Ogban as overwhelming.
In affirming the conviction, the Appeal Court expressed disappointment over Ogban’s conduct, especially given his position as an academic and a custodian of integrity.
Get a premium automobile insurance coverage for your vehicle for as low as #15000 only and claim up to #3,000,000 in damages @Zenith Insurance To signup: WhatsApp/Call: +2349028313757
