ABUJA- The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called for the upholding of the conviction of Prof. Peter Ogban, the Returning Officer for Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election in the 2019 general elections.
TMG made the call in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja by its Chairman, Auwal Rafsanjani.
The group said it was troubled by what it described as deliberate efforts by some political elites to shield those it said were responsible for electoral fraud from facing the consequences.
“In spite of the clear ruling of the Court of Appeal upholding the conviction of Prof. Ogban, there appears to be a coordinated attempt to neutralise the impact of the judgment,” it said.
TMG recalls that Ogban was sentenced to three years imprisonment for falsifying election results in the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election in which he was the returning officer.
“The rulings of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal must be implemented and respected until potentially overturned by the Supreme Court.
“Ignoring judicial rulings in a bid to protect political interests sets a dangerous precedent. The rule of law is non-negotiable in any democratic society,” it said.
“Until people begin to face real consequences of subverting the electoral process, Nigeria will continue to suffer from voter apathy and democratic decay,” it said.
The group, however, commended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and former Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, for their roles in pursuing the case.
NAN reports that TMG is a coalition of over 200 civil society organisations committed to deepening electoral accountability and democracy in Nigeria. (NAN)
