INEC official Ogban didn’t work for me – Akpabio

A statement, Wednesday in Abuja by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the President of the Senate, Anietie Ekong read, “For the umpteenth time, just like I did when Senator Godswill Akpabio was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, the claim that the jailed INEC Electoral Officer, Prof. Peter Ogban, was convicted for rigging election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is unfounded, spurious, malicious and intended to tarnish the image of the President of the Senate.

“I had then, in a statement as his Chief Press Secretary, stated this much while reacting to the claim by Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), that Ogban was working towards rigging the election in Akpabio’s favour.

“To put the record in perspective, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had reported that Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar was sentenced to three years imprisonment by an Akwa Ibom High Court for electoral fraud.

“This was after he was found guilty of fraudulent manipulation of the election results of Akwa Ibom North- West Senatorial District held on Feb. 23, 2019.

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“Akpabio who was APC’s candidate at the election seeking re-election to the Senate, was rather a victim of the fraudulent manipulation of the election.

:In their desperation in a continuing campaign of calumny against Akpabio, they twisted the context of the judgment and maliciously claimed that the election was rigged in his favour. Nothing could be further from the truth, the facts of the case put a lie to this assertion.

“Contrarily, Akpabio was a victim of the fraudulent manipulation of the election of Akwa Ibom North- West Senatorial District held on Feb. 23, 2019. He is vindicated that the perpetrators of the electoral fraud are being brought to justice, at last the chickens are coming home to roost.

“Akpabio did approach the National Assembly Election Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election. In that election, Akpabio’s votes totaling about 61,329 scored at his home Local Government Area (LGA)– Essien Udim, having been collated, were not announced by Ogban in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

INEC official Ogban didn’t work for me – Akpabio