Nigerian Professor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Electoral Fraud

A Nigerian professor has been sentenced to three years in prison for involvement in electoral fraud. Discover the details of the case and its implications. 

Professor Peter Uduk, a lecturer at the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a State High Court located in Uyo.

The court convicted Professor Uduk of announcing and disseminating falsified results during the 2019 general elections while he was serving as the returning officer for the Essien Udim State Constituency election.

Besides the prison sentence, the court also levied a fine of N100,000 on the professor.

Uduk’s conviction, prosecuted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, marks the second prominent case following that of Professor Peter Ogban, who received a three-year sentence for altering results in the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District election.

Ogban, a former lecturer at the University of Calabar, acted in a manner intended to benefit the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabuo.

Initially arraigned in December 2020, Uduk pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

Justice Nkanang, in delivering his judgment, stated that Uduk intentionally announced and published falsified results while serving as a collation and returning officer during the election.

He convicted the professor on two charges, sentencing him to three years in prison for each charge, with both sentences to be served concurrently.