By Ihechi Enyinnaya
The Palace of the Asagba of Asaba has disowned a purported letter condemning the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over the violence that disrupted the party’s campaign rally in Asaba, Delta State.
The Palace described the letter, which allegedly bore its official letterhead and signature, as fake, insisting that it did not emanate from the traditional institution.
In a public notice signed by the Chief of Staff to the Asagba, Chief Barr. Philips E. Nwokolo, the Palace condemned what it described as a malicious attempt by political actors to create a false impression of the monarch’s position on the incident.
It alleged that the purported letter was the handiwork of political jobbers who had resorted to using artificial intelligence to produce fake Palace letterhead and signature to advance a false narrative.
The Palace recalled that the Asagba had earlier addressed the incident at a press conference, where he condemned the acts of political intolerance that occurred during the NDC rally.
According to the statement, the monarch made it clear that Asaba, which he described as the most peaceful state capital in Nigeria, was opposed to violence of any kind, whether political or otherwise.
The traditional ruler also admonished politicians and political parties to respect the wishes of the people at all times.
He further advised political parties to make adequate security arrangements before embarking on rallies, protests or other political activities.
The Palace said the purported letter falsely attributed to the Asagba, which accused Obi and his political pressure groups of being solely responsible for the unrest, was a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the monarch’s position.
It warned that the development demonstrated the desperation of some political actors and called on the appropriate authorities to take steps to curb the spread of such misinformation.
The Palace consequently urged media organisations and members of the public to disregard the publication, stressing that both the letterhead and signature on the purported document were fake.
It reiterated that the Asagba’s earlier public statement at the press conference represented the authentic position of the Palace on the incident.