It’s another case of electoral malpractice catching up with those involved as a professor from the University of Uyo has been sentenced to three years in prison for manipulating election results.
It was a day of reckoning for Professor Ignatius Uduk, a lecturer at the University of Uyo, as a High Court in Akwa Ibom handed him a three-year jail term for electoral fraud.
Professor Uduk, who served as a returning officer during the 2019 general elections in Essien Udim State Constituency, was found guilty of announcing and publishing false election results.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had charged him with perjury and result manipulation, and after a legal battle that started in 2020, the court finally delivered its verdict.
Professor Uduk had pleaded not guilty, but the evidence against him proved otherwise.
This isn’t the first time a UNIUYO professor has been convicted for electoral fraud. In 2021, Professor Peter Ogban was also jailed for tampering with election results.
With yet another academic behind bars for election manipulation, the big question remains—will this serve as a deterrent to others? For now, INEC says it remains committed to ensuring electoral integrity in Nigeria.
