Court Sentences Nigerian Professor to Jail for Election Fraud

Justice Bassey Nkanang of the High Court in Akwa Ibom State has sentenced Professor Ignatius Uduk of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) to three years in prison for electoral fraud committed during the 2019 general elections.

Uduk, a Professor of Human Kinetics, served as a Collation/Returning officer for the Essien Udim State Constituency in March 2019. He had been facing trial on three charges: announcing false results, publishing false results, and perjury.

While Justice Nkanang acquitted Uduk on the first charge, he was found guilty of the second and third charges. Consequently, Uduk was sentenced to three years on each of the two charges, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the leadership of Mike Igini as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, had pursued the case against Uduk for abandoning his duties, publishing/announcing fraudulent election results, and committing perjury.

This conviction follows a similar case involving another UNIUYO Professor, Peter Ogban, who was also convicted and sentenced to three years for similar electoral offenses. Uduk’s case faced numerous delays, including repeated adjournments by the defense, ultimately leading to a change in the presiding judge.

The judgment brings an end to a five-year legal battle against electoral fraud related to the 2019 general elections in Akwa Ibom State.