From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Fifty-six prominent Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for Senate President Godswill Akpabio to step aside following a Court of Appeal ruling in Calabar on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, upholding the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban for electoral fraud in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial election.
Ogban, the returning officer, was sentenced to three years for falsifying results to favour Akpabio, then the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. The CSOs argue this ruling questions the legitimacy of Akpabio’s Senate mandate and his role as Senate President.
The CSOs stated, “This ruling raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of Senator Akpabio’s mandate. It is deeply troubling that the election which brought him to the Senate has now been judicially confirmed to have been manipulated.”
They urged Akpabio to temporarily vacate his position to restore public trust, noting, “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.”
Despite Akpabio’s denial of involvement, the CSOs said the conviction “casts a dark shadow over the credibility of that election.” They questioned his legal and moral standing to serve in the 10th National Assembly, given he benefited from the fraud and did not complete the term due to a ministerial role.
The CSOs commended INEC, particularly former Akwa Ibom REC Mike Igini, for prosecuting Ogban. They urged the APC to initiate a rerun or revalidation of the 2019 election and called for stronger electoral safeguards.
Signatories include Amnesty International Nigeria, BudgIT Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, and Yiaga Africa, among others.
Akpabio, elected Senate President in June 2023, and a powerful figure in Nigerian politics, faces growing calls for accountability amid this controversy.