55 CSOs ask Akpabio to resign amid court verdict on 2019 election fraud

No fewer than 56 Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, have called for the resignation of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, following the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban, who was the Returning Officer during his election in 2019 for election fraud by the Court of Appeal.

Ogban was the Returning Officer in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial election, which saw the controversial emergence of Akpabio as senator in the election which was marred by electoral fraud.

The appellate court sitting in Calabar, last Wednesday, upheld the three-year prison sentence earlier handed down to Professor Ogban, who was found guilty of falsifying election results to favour Senator Akpabio, then the All-Progressives Congress, APC, candidate.

The CSOs noted that the judgement of the Court of Appeal was deeply troubling as it has shown that Akpabio did not merit his fraudulent declaration as winner of the election and hence, his legitimacy in office both as senator and Senate President.

“This ruling raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of Senator Akpabio’s mandate,” the CSOs said in a joint statement. “It is deeply troubling that the election which brought him to the Senate has now been judicially confirmed to have been manipulated. In any democratic society, such a development demands immediate accountability and responsible leadership.”

The CSOs include the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP;

Amnesty International, AI, Nigeria; Media Rights Agenda, MRA; the 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative; Accountability Lab, Nigeria; the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought; the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ; the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development, Centre LSD; African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, AFRICMIL; the Alliance on Surviving Covid 19 and Beyond, AACAB; 

the Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress, BOCODEP; BudgIT Foundation; 

Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity; Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD; Centre for Democratic Research and Training, CRDDERT as well as the Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD.

They also include, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID; Centre for Social Justice, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC; CLEEN Foundation, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, CHRCR; Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA; Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability; Environmental Defenders Network; Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, ERA;

Alliance on Surviving Covid 19 and Beyond, AACAB; #FixPolitics; Global Rights; Good Governance Team; Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF; Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA Resource Centre; Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre; 

Lawyers Alert; Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre -MAMA Centre; 

Organization for Community Civic Engagement , OCCEN and Partners West Africa.

Others include, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Center in Africa, PAACA;

Praxis; Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, PRAWA; Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, 

Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED; RULAAC – Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre; Say NO Campaign – Nigeria; Sesor Empowerment Foundation; Social Action; 

Spaces For Change; State of the Union, SOTU; Tax Justice and Governance Platform; Transition Monitoring Group, TMG; West Africa Civil Society Forum, WASCSOF; West Africa Civil Society Institute, WACSI; Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC; Women in Media Communication Initiative, WIM; Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, WRAPA; Zero Corruption Coalition, ZCC and Yiaga Africa.

The CSOs emphasized that while Senator Akpabio has denied personal involvement in the fraud, the conviction of the official who declared him the winner casts a dark shadow over the credibility of that election, insisting that for the sake of public confidence, the rule of law, and the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic institutions, Senator Akpabio must temporarily vacate his position until the matter was conclusively addressed.

The CSOs also, raised a fundamental question: having been a confirmed beneficiary of electoral fraud in the 2019 election to the 9th Senate—which he did not even complete due to his later appointment as Minister of Niger Delta—did Senator Akpabio have the legal or moral standing to contest for a seat in the 10th National Assembly, let alone serve as its President?

“This is not just about one individual. It is about restoring public trust in our electoral process. 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,” they added. 

The CSOs commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, particularly former Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mike Igini, for spearheading the investigation and prosecution of the case and urged the National Assembly, INEC, and the judiciary to take this particular judgment as a clarion call to strengthen mechanisms that prevent electoral manipulation at all levels.

They further urged the APC leadership to demonstrate its commitment to electoral reform and democratic accountability by initiating a rerun or revalidation process for the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial seat.

“The judiciary has done its part. It is now up to the political leadership to rise to the occasion and show Nigerians and the world that no one is above the law—not even the Senate President,” the CSOs further added.