Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday told his colleagues during plenary that he was cheated in the 2019 senatorial election.
Akpabio, who was contributing to debates on the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act, recounted how the case was later decided by the court.
He said his personal experience underscored the need to ensure accountability at every level of the electoral process.
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He said the 2019 election that produced his opponent was marred by irregularities and massive mutilation of results, which prompted him to challenge the outcome in court.
“I was cheated in the 2019 elections and we went to court. The court annulled the election, saying the mutilation was terrible and that the returning officer was a danger to civility and must be prosecuted.
“The court ordered the prosecution of the electoral officer, but instead of prosecuting the INEC commissioner, they prosecuted the returning officer”, he said.
He explained that the returning officer, a professor from the University of Calabar with 34 years of service, was later convicted for manipulating election results.
Akpabio said the conviction only confirmed the depth of wrongdoing that characterised the poll against insinuation.
The Senate President lamented that his votes were allegedly burnt in some local government areas, preventing him from being declared the rightful winner.
“If the man was trying to assist me, how come they burnt my votes in my local government and I was not announced the winner?” he asked.
Akpabio said the incident highlighted the need for the National Assembly to strengthen the law to make resident electoral commissioners and other officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission accountable for any infraction.
“At the level of a returning officer, the man can only announce what is collated from the centres,” he noted.
“But a situation whereby a resident electoral commissioner sends security operatives to hijack the announcement to his office, which is against the Electoral Act and court rulings, must not be allowed to continue.”
He added that amending the law would not be meaningful unless those who manipulate the process are held responsible.
“If we are amending the Electoral Act, the real offenders must be held responsible. INEC should be held accountable for setting infractions in the law,” Akpabio said.
His remarks drew attention to lingering controversies surrounding the 2019 Akwa Ibom North West senatorial election, which the Court of Appeal later nullified over irregularities and ordered a fresh poll.
Daily Trust reports that his comments also come amid renewed public debate on electoral integrity and calls by lawmakers for reforms to better future elections.
