Nigeria, March 30 -- President Muhammadu Buhari's aide on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, has denied calling for the sacking of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, over the imprisonment of a university professor for election fraud.

Mr Akpabio, a few days ago, disowned the disgraced professor, Peter Ogban, saying that he did not rig the 2019 senatorial election for him. But the evidence tendered in court at the trial contradicts the minister's claim.

Mr Ogban, a professor of Soil Sciences, University of Calabar, was the returning officer in that year's senatorial election in Akwa Ibom State in which Mr Akpabio, a serving senator at the time, lost to Chris Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor of the state.

Mr Enang, a f...