A University of Uyo (UNIUYO) professor, Ignatius Uduk, has been sentenced to three years in prison for electoral fraud.
The High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, delivered the verdict, finding Professor Uduk guilty on two of the three counts brought against him.
Uduk, a Professor of Human Kinetics, served as a Collation/Returning officer for the Essien Udim State Constituency during the March 2019 general elections.
He faced charges of announcing false results, publishing false results, and perjury. While Justice Bassey Nkanang acquitted him on the first count, he was found guilty on counts two and three, receiving a three-year sentence for each, to run concurrently.
This conviction follows a five-year legal battle initiated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom state, then under the leadership of Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini. INEC pursued a three-count amended charge against Uduk, encompassing abandonment of duties, publishing/announcing fake election result scores, and perjury.
The trial, which saw repeated adjournments initiated by the defendant and a change in presiding judge, finally concluded with Justice Nkanang of Uyo High Court 5 delivering the judgment.
This case echoes a similar one involving another UNIUYO professor, Peter Ogban, who was also convicted and sentenced to three years for electoral offenses during the same period.
The Uduk verdict marks the end of INEC’s five-year legal pursuit against electoral fraud stemming from the 2019 elections in Akwa Ibom state.
