INEC Arraigns Lecturer For Electoral Fraud-See Details

A Professor has been arraigned over electoral malpractice.

News Rain Nigeria reports that the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akwa Ibom State has arraigned Professor Ignatius Uduk in court over alleged declaring of false election results.

The professor was on Wednesday 9th December 2020 said to have declared and published false election results at the 2019 State House of Assembly elections when he served as collation/returning officer at Afaha Ikot Ebak in Essien Udim local government area.

INEC Arraigns Lecturer For Electoral Fraud

The University Prof Uduk was  arraigned under charge no: HU/240c/2020, on three count charges of abandonment of duties and generation of false scores on form EC BE (II) on 10th March 2019 at INEC office in Afaha Ikot Ebak during the State House of Assembly elections; announcement and publication of false election result; and lying on oath at the inception of the Election Petition tribunal.

Though the Prof. pleaded not guilty to the three count charges against him, as his Counsel, Samuel Ndah prayed that the Professor should be granted bail.

“Last time we were before this honourable Court and the Court issued a bench warrant against the accused. I am very sure that it is because of the bench warrant that he (accused) filed application for bail.

Counsel to INEC led by Kpoobari Sigalo who had filed a counter affidavit however objected that the defendant be granted bail as he had proved to be evasive, adding that they want an accelerated hearing.

“So today he actually came to court and took his plea and his counsel has asked for his bail. We actually opposed to that bail application. When we filed our counter affidavit in opposition to the bail as we saw in Court that the matter has been adjourned to 14 December for ruling on that very application.

“The character of the accused person actually prompted us to object his application for bail. This is not the first matter we are prosecuting.  The other one we did not oppose to the bail application because the accused person on his own volition came to court.
“Before the last general election the Commission said it very loud and clear that whosoever that contravenes the Electoral Act of the 1999 Constitution and other guidelines of the electoral process will be severely dealt with,” he stated.

The presiding judge, Honorable Justice Archibong Archbishop adjourned the case to 14th December 2020 for ruling on the bail application as requested by Counsel to the defendant.

News Rain Nigeria recalled that Prof Uduk had threatened court action against INEC when he was asked to face the election petition tribunal set up for that purpose, was issued a bench warrant before he appeared in court on Wednesday in Uyo.