By Abasi Ita
A philanthropist and legal luminary, Barrister Dr. John I. Ebokpo, has threatened legal action against a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mike Etaba, over what he described as false and defamatory claims concerning the ownership of the Ogerege Road project in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
In a press statement made available to journalists, Ebokpo said the road project was a personal intervention fully funded from his private resources and carried out to address long standing transportation challenges faced by residents of the community.
“The Ogerege Road project is entirely my personal initiative and has been funded solely from my private resources to ease the hardship faced by the people,” Ebokpo stated.
According to the statement, Hon. Etaba, who represents Obubra Etung Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, allegedly claimed during a leadership meeting held on December 27, 2025, that the road project was a constituency initiative awarded through his office to Ebokpo. The lawmaker was also accused of alleging that Ebokpo had previously sought contracts from his office and was executing the project under false pretence.
Ebokpo rejected the allegations, describing them as malicious, unfounded, and defamatory.
“At no time have I discussed, requested, or received any constituency project, contract, funding, or authorization from Hon. Mike Etaba,” he said. “These claims are false and capable of damaging my hard earned reputation.”
He maintained that the Ogerege Road project was purely philanthropic and had no connection with any government agency or political office.
“This intervention is a humanitarian effort motivated by my concern for the welfare of the people and not by politics or public office,” Ebokpo added.
The legal luminary challenged the federal lawmaker to produce verifiable evidence or credible witnesses to substantiate the claims. He also issued a three day ultimatum demanding a full and unreserved public apology, a complete retraction of the alleged statements, and publication of the apology with equal prominence as the original claims.
Ebokpo warned that failure to comply with the demands by January 3, 2026, would leave him with no alternative but to seek redress through all available legal means.
As of the time of filing this report, Hon. Mike Etaba had not issued any public response to the allegations. Efforts to reach the House of Representatives member for Obubra and Etung for his reaction were unsuccessful as his phone line was persistently unreachable.