A Scathing Rebuke to Timothy Odedina: Stop Peddling Lies and Desecrating the Truth. By Chidi Ekeh

A Scathing Rebuke to Timothy Odedina: Stop Peddling Lies and Desecrating the Truth

Mr. Timothy Odedina,
Your article, “The Akpabio-Ogban Election Controversy: How Misinformation Overshadowed the Facts,” is a shameful attempt to rewrite history and whitewash the well-documented electoral fraud orchestrated in favor of Senator Godswill Akpabio during the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial election. As a collective of truth-bearing journalists, we are outraged by your blatant distortion of court-established facts and your audacity to masquerade lies as analysis. Your piece is not only an affront to journalistic integrity but a deliberate effort to mislead Nigerians and shield a tainted figure. We demand the immediate removal of your falsehood-ridden article from our platform, as it has no place among those committed to truth.
The True Occurrence of Events: Setting the Record Straight
Contrary to your baseless claims, court documents, witness testimonies, and credible reports from sources like Premium Times—not the cherry-picked Punch articles you misrepresent—paint an unambiguous picture of the 2019 election and Professor Peter Ogban’s role:
Ogban’s Fraudulent Actions: As INEC’s returning officer, Ogban falsified results in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo LGAs to inflate Akpabio’s vote tally. For instance, in Oruk Anam, collation officer John Enoidem testified that he submitted 10,534 votes for APC and 25,123 for PDP, but Ogban announced 15,534 for APC and 20,123 for PDP, fraudulently adding 5,000 votes to Akpabio’s score and subtracting 5,000 from Chris Ekpenyong’s. Ogban himself admitted this manipulation under oath.
Court Findings: On March 25, 2021, the Akwa Ibom State High Court convicted Ogban for “fraudulent manipulation of election results” to favor Akpabio, sentencing him to three years in prison. The Court of Appeal upheld this conviction on April 30, 2025, explicitly stating Ogban’s actions benefited Akpabio, not Ekpenyong. Your claim that Ogban rigged the election for Ekpenyong is a bald-faced lie, contradicted by Certified True Copies of both judgments.
Election Outcome: Despite Ogban’s rigging, Ekpenyong was declared the winner because the fraud was insufficient to overturn the PDP’s lead. Akpabio’s challenge led to a Court of Appeal-ordered rerun in Essien Udim, which he later withdrew from, cementing PDP’s victory. Your assertion that Akpabio was “robbed” ignores the fact that his votes were artificially boosted, not reduced.
Ogban’s Freedom: Shockingly, Ogban remains free, having been granted bail in July 2021 on dubious health grounds, despite his upheld conviction. This miscarriage of justice, likely influenced by Akpabio’s political clout as Senate President, further taints your narrative of Akpabio as a “victim.”
Your reference to Punch articles is misleading. The September 12, 2019, article you cite merely quotes a tribunal judge’s opinion, not a binding ruling, and the November 10, 2019, report confirms only a rerun order, not a vindication of Akpabio. You conveniently omit Premium Times’ fact-checking, which debunked Akpabio’s claim—echoed by you—that Ogban rigged against him.
Upbraiding Your Lies and Demand for Retraction
Your article is a disgraceful attempt to twist the truth and rehabilitate Akpabio’s image. You falsely claim Ogban canceled 61,329 votes from Essien Udim to favor Ekpenyong, yet INEC suspended results from that LGA due to suspicious vote counts favoring Akpabio. You accuse commentators like Oseni Rufai and Chidi Odinkalu of misinformation, yet their assertions align with court evidence, unlike your baseless narrative. Your suggestion that Nigerians are swayed by “emotions” or “political bias” is a cheap tactic to dismiss the overwhelming evidence of Akpabio’s complicity.
As a platform dedicated to truth, we will not tolerate your fabrications. Your article must be removed immediately, and you must issue a public apology for spreading falsehoods. Your failure to read court documents or verify facts before publishing is journalistic malpractice. We reject your call for “fact-based reporting” when you yourself have defiled the very principle.
A Call for Akpabio’s Resignation: A Defiled Jonah in Nigeria’s Ship
Godswill Akpabio stands defiled, like Jonah in the biblical ship, bringing turmoil to Nigeria’s governance. His role as Senate President, while tied to a convicted electoral fraud in his favor, is a stain on our democracy. The court’s verdict is clear: Ogban rigged for Akpabio, and Akpabio’s continued denial—mirrored in your article—is an insult to Nigerians. Just as Jonah was cast off the ship to calm the storm, Akpabio must be off-loaded from government through resignation. Only then can the ship called Nigeria glide steadily on the waters, free from the turbulence of corrupt leadership.
We join Transparency International Nigeria and countless citizens on X demanding Akpabio’s immediate resignation. His refusal to step down, as seen in his defiant May 8, 2025, statement, mocks justice and emboldens electoral impunity. Nigeria cannot progress with a Senate President whose mandate is tainted by fraud.
Final Warning
Mr. Odedina, your attempt to rewrite history will not stand. Remove your article from our platform, or we will take further action to ensure truth prevails. Cease peddling lies that protect the guilty and betray the Nigerian people. To Senator Akpabio, we say: resign now, or face the unrelenting call of justice. Nigeria deserves better than a leadership mired in deception and fraud.
Chidi Ekeh Public affairs analyst writes from Abuja Nigeria 
May 13, 2025