The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 200 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) committed to deepening electoral accountability and democracy, has expressed grave concern over emerging attempts by the political class to manipulate the fallout from the recent electoral fraud conviction involving a former returning officer in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election, Prof. Peter Ogban, who falsified election results in favour of then candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who eventually emerged as Senate President.
TMG, the foremost independent civil society election observation organisation in Nigeria, was part of the coalition that earlier called for Akpabio to step down. It is now warning that ongoing attempts to derail justice threaten to undermine the rule of law and erode public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.
In a statement on Wednesday. TMG’s Chairman, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani said that it was deeply troubled by what it described as a deliberate effort by political elites to suppress justice and shield those responsible for electoral fraud from facing consequences.
‘We are alarmed that despite 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 judgement and protect the beneficiaries of the fraud,” the coalition said.
Ogban was sentenced to three years in prison for falsifying election results in Akpabio’s favour. The Court of Appeal, sitting in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, recently affirmed the conviction, prompting renewed calls from CSOs, including TMG, for Akpabio to step aside from his current position as President of the 10th Senate.
TMG emphasised that 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’, the statement added.
The coalition reiterated its demand for full accountability, including the public disclosure and prosecution of all electoral offenders. ‘Until people begin to face real consequences for subverting the electoral process, Nigeria will continue to suffer from voter apathy and democratic decay’, TMG warned.
The group further stated that the conviction of the returning officer who declared Akpabio the winner calls into serious question the legitimacy of that mandate. ‘The matter goes beyond individual accountability—it is about protecting the integrity of our institutions and restoring public confidence in elections’, TMG stressed.
It also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mike Igini for their role in pursuing the case, and called on political and judicial authorities to resist any pressure to dilute the outcome.
“This is not the time for silence or compromise. The judiciary has done its part. Now the political leadership, INEC, and the National Assembly must show Nigerians that no one is above the law’, TMG further said.
