The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has opened up about how he was allegedly cheated during the 2019 general elections.
Speaking on Thursday during the Senate confirmation hearing of Joash Amupitan as the substantive Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akpabio claimed that his votes were deliberately burnt in his local government area.
Recounting his ordeal, Akpabio said the electoral officer was wrongly prosecuted instead of the actual INEC commissioner responsible for the irregularities.
He explained:
“I was cheated in the 2019 elections, and we went to court. The court annulled the election and ordered the prosecution of the electoral officer. But instead of prosecuting the INEC commissioner, they prosecuted the returning officer — a professor who had served for 34 years.”
The Senate President added that despite the court’s verdict, the narrative was twisted against him, questioning why his votes were destroyed if the officer was allegedly “trying to assist Akpabio.”
“If the man was trying to help me, how come they burnt my votes in my local government? How come I was not declared winner? I kept quiet,” he stated.
Akpabio further emphasized that any amendment to the Electoral Act must ensure that real offenders — particularly Resident Electoral Commissioners — are held accountable.
He called for greater transparency within INEC, insisting that the electoral body must be held responsible for infractions that undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
