In the heat of the Akpabio-Natasha saga, no fewer than 56 Civil Society Organizations have demanded that Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio step down shortly after the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, the 30th of April, convicted Prof. Peter Ogban of carrying out electoral fraud to favor Akpabio in the 2019 Akwa-Ibom North West Senatorial Election.
Prof. Peter Ogban, who was the returning officer, was handed a three-year jail sentence for altering results and manipulating them to favor Akpabio, then the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
The CSOs put forward an argument that the court’s ruling has dented the credibility and legitimacy of Akpabioโs mandate as Senate President.
“This ruling raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of Senator Akpabioโs mandate. It is deeply troubling that the election which brought him to the Senate has now been judicially confirmed to have been manipulated.”
“Allowing the Senate President to remain in office under such serious ethical questions undermines democratic values and sends a dangerous signal ahead of the 2027 general elections.โ
The Senate President has however taken a stance of denial noting he wasn’t involved in the electoral fraud carried out by Peter Ogban.
Speaking further, the CSO noted that Godswill Akpabio’s legal, as well as moral standing to serve in the 10th National Assembly is questionable since he, despite his claims of passivity and noninvolvement benefited from the fraud.
Commending INEC and especially former Akwa Ibom REC, Mike Igini, for prosecuting Ogban, the CSO noted that their action has validated their quest in the pursuit of free, fair and credible election.
Lastly, the CSO admonished the APC to either conduct a rerun or revalidation of the 2019 election with tenacious electoral protocols and regulations in place.
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