The Palace of the Asagba of Asaba, His Majesty Professor Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, SAN, has disowned a fake letter circulating on social media, which allegedly accused the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, of being responsible for the violence during the party’s campaign rally in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
The Palace, in a statement by the Chief of Staff to the Palace, Chief Barr. Philips E. Nwokolo, described the letter, which was reportedly produced using Artificial Intelligence (AI), as fake and said it did not come from the traditional ruler.
He also condemned the use of the Palace’s letterhead and signature to spread false information.
“The Palace of His Royal Majesty, the Asagba of Asaba wishes to inform the general public that the said letter did not emanate from the throne and utterly condemns such malicious and despicable act which is believed to be the handiwork of political jobbers,” the statement said.
The Palace recalled that the Asagba had earlier addressed the incident at a press conference, where he condemned the political violence that occurred during the rally.
According to the statement, the traditional ruler maintained that Asaba, regarded as one of the most peaceful capital cities in Nigeria, was against violence of any kind, whether political or otherwise.
He also advised politicians and political parties to respect the wishes of the people and seek adequate security protection before organising rallies or peaceful protests.
The Palace further described the claim that the Asagba blamed Peter Obi and his political groups for the unrest as a false narrative.
It said the use of AI to produce a fake Palace letterhead and signature showed how desperate some political actors had become.
The statement added that the development “must be nipped in the bud by the appropriate quarters.”
The Palace urged media practitioners and members of the public to disregard the publication, stressing that both the letterhead and the signature on the document were fake.
