Marshall Ekperikpe Ekpo, who just became the House of Representatives candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, has openly challenged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, over a claim that he is not his son.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Ekpo accused his father of rejecting him and urged him to take a DNA test to prove the truth.
“It is painful to hear words of denouncement from a biological father, the very person who should offer comfort and quiet direction at a time like this,” he stated.
Mr Ekpo explained that he ran for the NDC primary election because he wants to serve the people of the constituency. He insisted that he will not be discouraged by any attempts to separate him from his father.
“I will not deny the fact that the Honourable Minister of State (Gas), Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo, is my biological father,” he said.
“Dear Father, if you truly believe in your integrity, then let us settle this once and for all through a DNA test. Truth does not fear examination, and facts will speak for themselves.”
His post seems to respond to comments made by the minister’s spokesperson, Louis Ibah. Ibah reportedly denied that any of the minister’s sons was running for an election.
This issue began after reports published on 19 June by Vanguard and LEADERSHIP. They quoted political stakeholders in the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency expressing worries that Marshall’s candidacy for the NDC might hurt the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming 2027 elections.
These reports, which have since been taken down from the newspapers’ websites, suggested that some APC members feared that Marshall’s candidacy could split their votes in the constituency.
In response to these reports, Mr Ibah reportedly dismissed the idea that the minister was supporting his son’s political ambition.
But Ibah’s statement stirred up controversy. He was quoted as saying, “No son of the minister was contesting any election.”
This remark raised questions about whether the minister was rejecting Marshall’s claim to be his son or just trying to distance himself from his son’s political activities.
The statement did not clarify whether Marshall is not the minister’s son, if the reports about his candidacy were wrong, or if the minister was denying any involvement in the campaign.
Four days ago, LEADERSHIP reported that Mr Ekpo denied claims that his son was running for the House of Representatives on the NDC platform.
The newspaper quoted the minister as saying he was not connected to the candidacy.
PREMIUM TIMES could not confirm if the minister personally made the statement attributed to him by the newspaper.
A review by PREMIUM TIMES showed no official statement from the minister clearly disowning Marshall or denying being his father.
This latest issue has also brought back recent allegations on social media about the relationship between the minister and Marshall.
In a Facebook post from March 2025, social media commentator Da Zion Umoh claimed that Marshall is the minister’s first son and accused the minister of abandoning him for many years.
The post included different claims about their family ties and called on the minister to either publicly accept Marshall as his son or agree to a DNA test.
The commentator also charged that the minister had not supported Marshall and his family despite holding important political positions.
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claims in the post, and there is no public record showing that the minister replied to the allegations then.
Still, the push for a paternity test has gained fresh attention after Marshall’s recent Facebook post where he insisted that the minister is indeed his biological father and challenged him to a DNA test.
PREMIUM TIMES could not reach the minister for a comment on this report as our reporter could not get in touch with his spokesperson, Mr Ibah. Mr Mbah’s known phone line was off at the time of this report.
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