The Office of the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State has denied reports claiming that Senator Akon Eyakenyi sponsored a bill in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly that seeks to stop women from sleeping with married men in the State.
Eyakenyi in a disclaimer issued by her Press Secretary, Omen Bassey, described the report as false and misleading.
The statement followed several enquiries from members of the public over a message widely shared on social media claiming that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly would, on January 13, 2026, pass a law prohibiting women from sleeping with married men.
The viral message also alleged that the bill was sponsored by the Deputy Governor and that any “young girl, lady or woman” caught sleeping with a married man would face 10 years’ imprisonment without an option of fine, while the man involved would pay a fine of ₦2 million.
Reacting to the report, the Office of the Deputy Governor described it as fake news and stated that the claim was wrongly credited to Senator Akon Eyakenyi.
According to the statement, the office received enquiries concerning “a certain Bill purportedly pending in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and falsely credited to the Deputy Governor as the initiator or sponsor.”
The statement added: “Her Excellency, Senator (Dr) Akon Eyakenyi hasn’t sponsored any Bill in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly or anywhere else currently and she’s not even aware of the existence of the said Bill.”
It further stated that the deputy governor could not personally sponsor a bill: “As a member of the State Executive Council, the Deputy Governor doesn’t enjoy the luxury of personally sponsoring Bills without passing same through the Council for transmission to the Legislature by the Governor or his assigned agent.”
The office also questioned the source of the report, adding that “the spurious report about the imaginary Bill neither emanated from the official communication channels of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly nor Akwa Ibom State Government.”
Members of the public were therefore urged to completely ignore the report and avoid spreading unverified information.
The statement advised citizens to always rely on official government channels to confirm the authenticity of controversial reports before attaching any importance to them.
Similarly, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly described as “fabricated” the report circulating on social media, which alleged that the House would pass a bill criminalising sexual relationships with married men.
This was made known in a statement by Jerry Anson Otu
Chairman, House Committee on Information.
It stated that the report, attributed to a Facebook post by Obiavel Albert Abigo, claimed the bill was sponsored by the Deputy Governor, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, and sought to impose a 10-year prison sentence on women found guilty of engaging in a sexual relationship with married men, while men would face a ₦2 million fine.
“The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly wishes to categorically state that this report is entirely false and has no basis in fact.
“The Assembly has not received or considered any such bill, and the Deputy Governor has not sponsored it.
“We condemn this malicious attempt to tarnish the image of the Deputy Governor and the Assembly, and urge the public to disregard this fake news and any associated commentaries.
“The House remains committed to its constitutional role of law-making, and will not be swayed by mischievous attempts to undermine its integrity,” Otu said.
The State Government also addressed what it termed “a false social media claim alleging that Her Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Akon Eyakenyi, Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, sponsored a Bill before the State House of Assembly.”
According to the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, the “claim is entirely false, misleading, and without any factual basis.”
He also stated: “For the record, the Deputy Governor has not sponsored any Bill in the State House of Assembly or elsewhere, and she is completely unaware of the purported Bill circulating online. Governance is a serious and noble responsibility, far above the petty machinations of fake news, online marauders, and those seeking to distort facts for personal or political gain.
“As a member of the State Executive Council, the Deputy Governor does not have the mandate to sponsor Bills to the House of Assembly independently. Any Executive Bill must first be deliberated upon and approved by the Council before being transmitted to the Legislature by the Executive Arm of Government.
“The false report did not originate from any official channel of either the Executive or Legislative arm of the Akwa Ibom State Government and should therefore be disregarded in its entirety.”
Umanah, in a statement in Uyo, urged the public “to ignore the fake news and false posts circulating on social media.”
“While the Government of Akwa Ibom State abhors immoral activities which are against by with baseless claims that are unverifiable.
“Members of the public are strongly urged to rely solely on official, verified government sources for accurate information,” Umanah stated.
By Dianabasi Effiong
