The Nigerian government has failed to enforce a court-ordered prison sentence against Professor Peter Ogban, who was convicted of manipulating election results in Akwa Ibom State.
The Court of Appeal in Calabar confirmed Ogban’s conviction and three-year jail sentence on April 30, 2025. However, Ogban is not in prison and has not been seen in any correctional facility.
Ogban, a University of Calabar soil science professor, was found guilty of announcing fake results in favour of then-Senate candidate and current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election.
A State High Court in Uyo convicted and sentenced him on March 25, 2021.
Following the ruling, Ogban was taken to Ikot Ekpene Correctional Facility. However, he was granted bail less than four months later—on July 12, 2021—on health grounds.
INEC, which prosecuted Ogban, opposed the bail application. But Justice Pius Idiong of the Ikot Ekpene High Court ruled in Ogban’s favour.
“Although the applicant’s so-called health conditions… cannot constitute such an exceptional circumstance, he has nonetheless made out a case to warrant being granted a temporary reprieve,” the judge stated.
Ogban’s legal team, led by Kanu Agabi (SAN), said he suffered from tuberculosis and high blood pressure. They argued that he might be discharged if his appeal succeeded.
Appeal Court Confirms Sentence, But Ogban Is Missing
On April 30, 2025, the Court of Appeal ruled virtually and upheld the High Court’s judgment. Yet, Ogban was absent and has since vanished from the public eye.
A legal practitioner familiar with the case said: “The officials of the Nigerian prisons ought to have made sure Prof Ogban was present… and they should have taken him straight to Ikot Ekpene prisons immediately after the judgment.”
A lawyer from Ogban’s defence team admitted they do not know his exact location. “I don’t know his exact location at the moment,” the lawyer told an online news agency.
It news platform claimed it unsuccessfully made efforts to get comments from the Nigerian Correctional Service. Richard Metong, spokesperson for the service in Akwa Ibom, initially promised to confirm Ogban’s status but has not provided the update.
Despite the upheld sentence, Ogban’s lawyers have filed a fresh notice of appeal at the Supreme Court.
Legal analysts say that unless a new court order is issued, the professor should be behind bars pending the outcome of his final appeal.
Another Professor Convicted, But Also Free
Ogban is not alone in this situation.
Another academic, Professor Ignatius Uduk of the University of Uyo, was also sentenced to three years in prison for election fraud.
INEC charged him with announcing false results, publishing fake figures, and perjury during the 2019 elections in Essien Udim State Constituency. He reportedly manipulated the figures in favour of APC candidate Nse Ntuen, an ally of Akpabio.
Despite his conviction by a Uyo High Court, Uduk was recently granted bail.
Legal observers say these cases show the Nigerian justice system may be selectively applied, especially when politically influential people are involved.
Akpabio, the key beneficiary of the rigged elections, now serves as Nigeria’s Senate President and is a strong ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The continued freedom of two convicted professors draws one to favorably reassess the book by the famed author and activist, Dele Farotimi, which he called, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System“.
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