On Wednesday, February 5, a State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, sentenced a Nigerian professor to three years in prison for perjury and publishing of false election results.
Why court sentenced UNIUYO professor to prison
Mr. Ignatius Uduk, a professor of Human Kinetics at the University of Uyo, was prosecuted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on charges of perjury and announcing and publishing false results during the 2019 general elections in Essien Udim State Constituency, where he served as the returning officer.
The case marks the second high-profile conviction of a Nigerian professor for electoral fraud.
The court’s verdict on Wednesday
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang held that the prosecution counsel, Clement Onwuewunor, has discharged the burden of proof that the defendant published false election results when he served as a collation/returning officer.
Citing Section 123 (4) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended, the judge held that the prosecution had established his case against the defendant.
In the third charge of perjury, the judge cited Section 118 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP 38, Laws of Akwa Ibom State 2000, where the offence is defined as:
“Any person in any judicial proceeding or for the purpose of instituting any judicial proceeding, knowingly gives false testimony touching any matter which is material to any question then depending on that proceeding, or intended to be raised in that proceeding, is guilty of an offence which is called perjury.”
The judge discharged and acquitted the defendant on count one—announcement of false election result—but convicted him on counts two and three: publication of false election results and perjury.
Therefore, the judge sentenced the professor to three years for count two and the same prison terms for count three. Both terms are to run concurrently.
Backstory, judgment
Mr Uduk was first arraigned in December 2020 after an arrest warrant was issued on him a previous month over repeated failures to appear in court for the commencement of his trial.
The professor had pleaded not guilty to the three charges slammed on him by INEC.
Several factors, including a change of defence counsel and the defendant collapsing in the dock during cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, led to the delay of the case.
Mr Uduk was brought into the court in a wheelchair shortly before the prosecution and defence counsels announced their appearance on Wednesday.
Uduk jailed 4 years after colleague bagged similar sentence
As reported by PremiumTimes, his conviction and sentencing came four years after his colleague, Peter Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar, was jailed for three years for a similar offence.
Court jails suspended UNICAL professor, lawyer
In a similar development, Legit.ng earlier reported that the court took action against the embattled Prof. Cyril Ndifon of UNICAL, and one of his lawyers.
The professor and his lawyer were sent to the Kuje prison following an order handed down by the high court in Abuja.
Ndifon has been in a court battle over allegations of sexual harassment and interference with justice.
