The Irony of Power and Punishment: One Behind Bars, the Other Presiding

 


The Irony of Power and Punishment: One Behind Bars, the Other Presiding

✍Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu

In a tale thick with irony, the Nigerian judicial system has upheld the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban, a respected academic from the University of Calabar, sentencing him to three years in prison for his role in rigging the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election. That very election gave rise to none other than Nigeria’s current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The Court of Appeal, Calabar Division, on Wednesday affirmed the ruling of the Akwa Ibom High Court in Ikot Ekpene, which found Ogban guilty of manipulating and announcing falsified results - a betrayal of the sacred duty of electoral transparency. The appellate court condemned the act, emphasizing the damage such betrayal does to the fabric of democratic institutions, especially when committed by



those tasked with safeguarding its processes.

The conviction, a result of a dogged investigation under the leadership of Barrister Mike Igini, then Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Akwa Ibom, marks a rare moment of accountability. Notably, Ogban wasn’t the only academic caught in the web. Professor Ignatius Uduk also received a three-year sentence for similar offenses- perjury and the announcement of false results.

What remains striking is the contrasting fate of the man who benefited from the manipulated process. Senator Akpabio, who has denied any involvement in the fraud, now wields the gavel as Senate President. While Ogban languishes in prison, Akpabio sits in power, steering national legislation with the authority that flowed, at least in part, from a compromised process.

It is a sobering reflection on our democratic system when the pawns fall while the kings march forward, untouched.

_Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu
May 1, 2025

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