A brewing family dispute within one of Akwa Ibom’s most prominent political clans spilled into the public domain as Hon. Dr. Patrick Umoh, federal lawmaker for Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara, demanded an immediate halt to what he branded a “shameful charade” of online defamation targeting Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Mrs. Patience Ibanga Akpabio.
Umoh’s scathing press statement, dated October 20, accused the Essien Udim-based woman—identified as a member of the wider Akpabio family—of waging an “unprovoked and dishonourable campaign of character assassination” through inflammatory social media posts that he said lacked any factual basis.
“Enough is enough,” Umoh declared, warning that the tirades not only damage the Senate President but also tarnish the Akpabio family name and the reputation of Essien Udim, one of the three local government areas he represents in the House of Representatives.
The lawmaker, who once served as Akpabio’s Senior Legislative Aide and later as Special Assistant during the latter’s stint as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, invoked shared cultural values of respect for elders and sanctity of truth.
He urged Mrs. Akpabio to “reflect soberly on the consequences” of her actions.
Umoh praised Akpabio’s eight-year governorship (2007–2015) as a transformative era that turned Akwa Ibom into a “model of progress and modernity,” citing landmark projects in roads, schools, and healthcare.
He added that Akpabio’s leadership of the 10th Senate continues to exhibit “rare capacity and statesmanship” at a critical juncture for Nigeria.
