Appeal Court Upholds Conviction of Prof Ogban for Electoral Fraud
The Court of Appeal in Calabar has upheld the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban for fraud and manipulation of election results.
Professor Ogban served as the returning officer in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Election and was accused of attempting to rig the elections in favor of Godswill Akpabio.
In 2021, Ogban was convicted by an Akwa Ibom State High Court following the initiation of his prosecution by Mike Igini, who served as the INEC resident electoral commissioner at the time.
Recall that in 2021, Professor Ogban, the INEC returning officer for the 2019 Akwa Ibom North West District senatorial election, was found guilty of manipulating election results and sentenced to three years in prison. Ogban’s conviction was considered a landmark in the prosecution of high-profile officials involved in election rigging.
A few years later, in February 2025, his colleague, Professor Ignatius Uduk, was also found guilty and sentenced for his role in manipulating results in the same election.
The 2019 election that led to the downfall of the two professors was a two-horse race between Senator Chris Ekpenyong of the PDP and current Senate President Godswill Akpabio of the APC. Akpabio had lost the 2019 election, largely because the then INEC resident electoral commissioner for Akwa Ibom state, Mike Igini, stepped in to ensure the right thing was done.
Although both convicted professors were reported to be working in favor of Godswill Akpabio, who at the time was the minority leader in the Senate, Akpabio staunchly denied knowledge of their actions.
Prof. Ogban’s attempt to reverse his 2021 conviction was dismissed on Wednesday by the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the decision of the Akwa Ibom State High Court.
Ogban had pleaded for mercy at his conviction, promising to be responsible and careful, but later filed an appeal, which has now been dismissed.
The appellate court reaffirmed that Ogban’s conduct as a professor of soil science at the University of Calabar was a grave misconduct and a breach of his pledge of integrity.
The judgment was delivered over Zoom. It is unclear whether the appellant will file a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
