Did The Akwa Ibom State House Of Assembly Propose A 10-Year Jail Term For Adultery?
On January 12, 2026, popular Nigerian news blog @instablog9ja posted a claim on X, stating that lawmakers in the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly have proposed a 10 year jail term for single women who have affairs with married men.
The post included a picture of the present speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, with a write-up that read: ‘AKWA IBOM LAWMAKERS PROPOSE 10-YEAR JAIL TERM FOR WOMEN WHO COMMIT AD¥LTERY.’ This post was captioned:
“Akwa Ibom Lawmakers Propose 10-Year Jail Term for Women Who Have Affairs With Married Men The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is preparing to consider a bill that seeks to cr+minalise s+xual relationships involving married men and unmarried women. The proposed legislation was revealed by lawyer Obiavel Albert Abigo in a Facebook post on Monday. According to him, the bill is sponsored by the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Inyang. The bill states that any young girl, lady, or woman who engages in a s+xual relationship with a married man would be committing an offence under state law. If found guilty, the woman would face a mandatory 10-year prison sentence, with no option of a fine. The married man involved, however, would not face jail time but would be required to pay a N2 million fine. Abigo wrote: “The bill’s content specifies that any woman found guilty of engaging in a s+xual relationship with a married man will face a mandatory 10-year prison sentence without an option of a fine.” He added that the bill is expected to be passed into law when it comes up for consideration at the House’s plenary session on Tuesday. The proposed law has already raised questions about fairness, enforcement, and gender balance, with many Nigerians calling for deeper debate before any final decision is made.”
When this report was published, the post had 117,300 views and over 2,200 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @OkochaCfc said “This is funny. This law should be balanced. S!x involves two people, so why punish one and leave the other?” while @Oscar_Dyne wrote “So the married men that approached the girls have they lost their senses? Are they mad? Or, they lost their ability to remember? Do you know how married men deny their wives? This is the trashiest law I have ever seen in my entire existence.”
VERIFICATION
Hon. Otong is the Speaker of the 8th Akwa Ibom House of Assembly under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing Abak State Constituency. Otong, a two-term lawmaker emerged after he secured 20 votes to defeat his only contender, Mr Ukpong Akpabio of the same party representing Essien Udim state constituency, who scored 6 votes. On June 24, 2025, the speaker alongside 23 other members of the house defected to the All Progressives Party, APC.
On January 13, 2026, the Akwa Ibom Assembly dismissed reports suggesting it plans to pass a law criminalising sexual relationships with married men. The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Jerry Otu, described the report as false and aimed at tarnishing the Assembly’s reputation. He urged the public to disregard the information.
Otu labelled the viral reports as an attempt to “tarnish the image” of both the legislature and the Deputy Governor, stressing that they are without factual basis.
The Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Dr Akon Eyakenyi, also dismissed reports alleging that she sponsored a controversial bill before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, describing the claims as false, misleading, and without basis. In a statement released by her Press Secretary, Mr. Omen Bassey, the deputy governor said her office had been overwhelmed with enquiries following the circulation of a message on social media alleging that the House of Assembly planned to pass a law on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, aimed at criminalising women accused of having sexual relationships with married men.
CONCLUSION
The claim that lawmakers of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly have proposed a 10 year jail term for single women who have affairs with married men is FALSE. There is no evidence the bill exists. The Deputy Governor and the State Assembly have officially refuted the story.
