Nigerian professor sentenced to three years in prison for election fraud

A Nigerian professor, Ignatius Uduk, has been sentenced to three years in prison for perjury and publishing false election results during the 2019 general elections in Essien Udim State Constituency, Akwa Ibom State.

Uduk, a Human Kinetics professor at the University of Uyo, was convicted on Wednesday by the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo. The court also imposed a ₦100,000 fine on him.

How the electoral fraud unfolded

Uduk served as the returning officer during the 2019 elections but was found guilty of falsifying election results.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prosecuted him as part of its ongoing crackdown on election malpractice in Nigeria.

The case dragged on for over four years due to multiple delays, including Uduk’s failure to appear in court, changes in his defense counsel, and dramatic courtroom incidents—one of which saw him collapse in the dock during cross-examination.

At one point, Uduk even accused the presiding judge of bias and requested his recusal. The case was reassigned, but ironically, it returned to the same judge for continuation.

After repeated absences from court, Justice Bassey Nkanang revoked Uduk’s bail and issued a fresh arrest warrant. On the day of sentencing, Uduk arrived in a wheelchair, wearing a brown cassock, before hearing his fate.

Judge’s ruling

Delivering the judgment, Justice Nkanang ruled that the prosecution, led by Clement Onwuewunor, had provided undisputable evidence that Uduk knowingly published false election results while serving as a collation and returning officer.

The conviction was based on Section 123(4) of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended), which prescribes a maximum 36-month jail term for publishing false election results.

A repeat of history: Another professor jailed for election rigging

Uduk’s conviction follows a similar case in 2021, where Professor Peter Ogban, a former lecturer at the University of Calabar, was jailed for three years for manipulating results in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District to favor Godswill Akpabio, now Nigeria’s Senate President.

Both cases were prosecuted under Mike Igini’s tenure as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom, reinforcing INEC’s commitment to electoral integrity.