EYIBO SUSPENSION BACKFIRES, WIDEN CRACKS IN ESIT-EKET APC

EYIBO SUSPENSION BACKFIRES, WIDEN CRACKS IN ESIT-EKET APC

– Ex -Officio member disowns process in court affidavit, issues 24-hour ultimatum.

ESIT EKET — A move by a faction of the All Progressives Congress in Esit Eket Ward 9 to suspend Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh has collapsed, after a ward executive alleged forgery and swore that no disciplinary meeting took place.

Prophet Edet Ben, an Ex-Officio member of the ward, told the High Court in Uyo in a sworn affidavit that no meeting was held on April 22, 2026, to consider any action against Eyiboh or any other member. He denied attending or endorsing the proceedings.

Ben said his name and signature were fraudulently inserted in an attendance list and a “Letter of Suspension” sent to APC leaders at the chapter and state levels. He has demanded an immediate public retraction and removal of his name, warning of legal action if his demands are not met within 24 hours.

The faction had accused Eyiboh, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, of anti-party activities.

The claim has drawn backlash. Ward Nine New Era (WNNE), a grassroots political group, called the suspension “malicious, baseless, and void.” It questioned why Eyiboh was singled out when other stakeholders who attended the same community endorsement meeting faced no sanctions.

WNNE listed those present to include former NDDC Managing Director Sir Bassey Dan-Abia; former Speaker Rt. Hon. Bassey Essien; former state lawmaker Hon. Dr. Usoro Akpan-Uso; and former Women Affairs Commissioner Hon. Dr. Ini Adiakpan, now a Delivery Advisor to Governor Umo Eno.

The group said due process was not followed and urged members to disregard the action. It argued that penalising Eyiboh for mobilising grassroots support for President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno was contradictory.

Commentators described the episode as a “self-defeating contradiction,” saying it exposes internal inconsistencies and damages the credibility of the suspension’s promoters.

With allegations of forgery and breach of due process now in court, the attempted suspension has shifted from a disciplinary matter to a legal and political liability for its sponsors.