Adeyanju slams Akpabio over election-rigging scandal, demands resignation

Nigerian lawyer and rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has taken a swipe at Senate President Godswill Akpabio, calling for his immediate resignation.

He made the call following the Court of Appeal’s confirmation of the conviction of Professor Peter Ogban, who was found guilty of manipulating election results in Akpabio’s favour.

Reacting to the development on social media, Adeyanju described Akpabio as a “shameless charlatan” who should have resigned from his position in the National Assembly in light of the damning revelations. However, the activist expressed little optimism, accusing the Senate President of merely performing “rubber stamp duties” and lamenting the state of accountability in Nigeria’s political system.

“Akpabio, the shameless charlatan, should naturally resign today but he will remain in office to continue doing rubber stamp duties in NASS. Nigeria, a country where there’s no consequence for bad behavior,” Adeyanju wrote.

Adeyanju’s outburst follows the Court of Appeal ruling in Calabar which upheld the three-year prison sentence handed to Professor Ogban, a former University of Calabar lecturer who served as the returning officer in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election. Ogban was convicted for altering results to favour Akpabio, who was then contesting under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Despite the rigging attempt, Akpabio lost that election to PDP’s Chris Ekpenyong. He, however, returned to the Senate in 2023 and currently serves as its president.