COURT HALTS SUSPENSION ENFORCEMENT AGAINST HON. ESEME EYIBO 

COURT HALTS SUSPENSION ENFORCEMENT AGAINST HON. ESEME EYIBO  

A political storm is brewing in APC Ward 9 in Esit Eket Local Government Area as the High Court of Akwa Ibom State has halted the enforcement of a controversial suspension slammed on the Spokesperson to the President of the Senate, Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh.

The Court sitting in Oruk Anam Judicial Division holds that the said suspension must not be effected until the determination of a substantive motion before it.

In Suit No. HOA/12/2026, presided over by Hon.Justice Nkereuwem M. Obot, the court on Thursday, May 14, 2026, ordered that the 1st Defendant/Respondent “shall not give effect to the publication made by the 2nd to 21st Defendants/Respondents on the 22nd day of April, 2026,” effectively freezing the disputed suspension process until the matter is heard on June 22, 2026.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State is the 1st Defendant/Respondent on the matter, while those laying claim to the party’s leadership in Esit Eket Ward Nine who signed the purported suspension resolution are listed as 2nd to 21st Defendants/Respondents.

The order followed arguments by counsel to the Plaintiff/Applicant, Prophet Edet Ben, who challenged the legitimacy of the suspension exercise as published in the social media and accused those behind it of fraudulently using his identity in documents linked to the action.

The latest court decision marks a dramatic twist in a controversy that has continued to embarrass the APC in Esit Eket Ward 9 and deepen internal tensions within the party structure.

Earlier reports had revealed that Prophet Edet Ben, an Ex-Officio member of the ward, swore under oath that no ward meeting was held on April 22, 2026, to discuss or approve any suspension against Eyiboh or any party member.

He also denied signing any attendance sheet or endorsing any suspension letter circulated to party authorities.

The development triggered allegations of forgery and impersonation and manipulation of party processes, with Prophet Ben demanding a public retraction and apology otherwise threatening legal action over the unauthorized use of his name and purported signature.

The purported suspension of Hon Eyiboh had sparked outrage among party faithful and political stakeholders, especially as the former federal lawmaker was accused of anti-party activities despite openly mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno.

Political pressure group, Ward Nine New Era (WNNE), had also dismissed the suspension as “malicious, baseless and void,” insisting that due process was ignored and questioning why Eyiboh was singled out while other prominent Esit Eket stakeholders who attended the same political gathering were untouched.

Observers say the court’s intervention has now shifted the matter to a potentially damaging criminal justice legal battle involving allegations of forgery and impersonation.

With the court restraining enforcement of the suspension and legal scrutiny intensifying, what began as a local political vendetta and malice campaign may have snowballed into a major credibility crisis for those behind the controversial move.