It was surprising waking up this morning to see a flying story on the social media purportedly saying that APC leaders in Ward Nine (9) of Esit Eket Local Government Area have suspended Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh for anti-party activity. What is currently unfolding is not a disciplinary episode, it is a striking illustration of how political absurdity can collapse under the weight of its own contradiction. The so-called suspension of Rt Hon. Eseme Eyiboh by a faceless clique parading itself as Ward 9 leadership is as hollow as it is laughable.
At the heart of this controversy lies a simple, inconvenient truth: Eyiboh’s “offence” was mobilising stakeholders to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Senate Principal Godswill Akpabio GCON, Governor Umo Eno PhD, and other National Assembly members. It was a huge event in the local government which was attended by the former MD of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, and former speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Bassey Essien. In any coherent political environment, this would be the gold standard of party loyalty. Yet, in a bizarre twist, it has been branded as anti-party activity.
That contradiction alone exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of the accusation. How does one undermine a party by actively promoting its highest-ranking figures? The claim is not just weak, it is self-defeating.
The group behind this charade, led by Johnny Nsoh, has failed to answer the most basic questions about its authority and intent. On what legal or organisational foundation does it stand? Where are the duly constituted ward structures that confer such sweeping disciplinary powers? Without legitimacy, their declaration amounts to nothing more than noise, loud, attention-seeking, but ultimately empty.
Even more revealing is the selective nature of the attack. Eyiboh was not alone at the stakeholders’ meeting; he stood among numerous party faithful and community leaders. Why, then, single him out? The answer points less to principle and more to pettiness, a targeted attempt to discredit a figure whose influence and grassroots connection are evidently unsettling to some.
Perhaps, Johnny Nsoh and his dark art sponsors need to be reminded that Rt Hon. Eseme Eyiboh is not a mere politician who belongs in the ilk of a local champion like them. Eyiboh is an international figure who as first timer at the National Assembly, representing Eket Federal Constituency, emerged as Spokesperson of the House and later as Speaker of the West African Anglophone (WAIFEM) Parliament.
Eseme Eyiboh who has trodden the political space of the Nigerian state in many fora and without blemish, excelled at all his duty posts, including as Director at the Akwa Palm Industry Limited; Executive Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Ethical and Attitudinal Reorientation Commission (EARCOM), and as Chairman of the Cross River Basin Development Authority (CRBDA). He currently serves as the Special Adviser to the President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio GCON.
What makes this episode particularly ironic is that while the faceless clique is busy manufacturing infractions, Eyiboh is doing the real work of politics: building consensus, strengthening alliances, and energising the base. As a foundation member of the APC and a seasoned mobiliser, his actions reflect commitment, not defiance.
The intervention of Ward Nine New Era has been both timely and necessary. By dismantling the shaky premise of the suspension and highlighting its procedural and logical flaws, the group has restored a measure of sanity to the discourse. Their questions remain unanswered, and perhaps unanswerable, because they strike at the very core of the clique’s illegitimacy. In a statement issued on Saturday morning, on behalf of the Ward Nine New Era, two former councillors of the Ward, Hon. Okon Bassey Iyanam and Hon. Okon Edoho, condemned the deceitful conduct of Johnny Nsoh and his cohorts.
This episode ultimately reveals a deeper problem: the danger of allowing shadowy, unaccountable actors to weaponise “party discipline” for personal or factional ends. When rules are ignored and logic is abandoned, what remains is not governance but chaos.
In the final analysis, the purported suspension of Eseme Eyiboh is not just null and void, it is a case study in contradiction. It is what happens when ambition outruns reason, and when authority is claimed without legitimacy. And as the dust settles, one thing becomes clear: while the clique fades into irrelevance, Eyiboh’s stature as a committed partyman can only grows stronger.
© Eyiboh’s Media Vault (EMV)
25042026
