The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), and a coalition of 54 other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for the immediate resignation of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. This follows the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban for manipulating results in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election to favour Akpabio, then a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The appellate court in Calabar, on Wednesday, reaffirmed Ogban’s three-year prison sentence, originally handed down by a lower court, after he was found guilty of falsifying election results in favour of Akpabio.
In a joint statement on Monday, the CSOs expressed deep concern over the ruling’s implications on the legitimacy of Akpabio’s senatorial mandate. “This ruling raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of Senator Akpabio’s mandate,” the groups stated.
They noted that while Akpabio has denied direct involvement in the fraud, the court’s findings against the official who declared him winner cast a dark shadow on the integrity of the process that brought him to power. The CSOs urged Akpabio to step aside to uphold democratic values and public confidence in governance.
“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 warned.
The coalition also questioned Akpabio’s eligibility to have contested the 2023 general election and subsequently emerged as Senate President, noting that his 2019 mandate was tainted by fraud and that he left the 9th Senate early to become Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
Commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its former Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, for pursuing the case, the CSOs called on the National Assembly and APC leadership to demonstrate accountability by initiating a process to revalidate the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial seat.
“The judiciary has done its part. It is now up to the political leadership to show that no one is above the law not even the Senate President,” the statement concluded.
