By Ayodele Oni
As blames are being shifted on the attack on a peaceful procession organised by pro-Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) groups in the Delta State capital, Asaba, the palace of Asagba has distanced His Royal Majesty, Obi Prof Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge from the incident.
The palace specifically denied linkage of the monarch to issuing a statement especially on social media, castigating anybody for the ugly incident.
The statement had alleged that the Asagba had warned the presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, or the party against disrupting the peace of Asaba with their political activities.
It expressed shock and disbelief over the public statement on the incident in Asaba issued with forged royal letterhead and signature, purportedly warning Peter Obi in connection with the one-million-man solidarity march in Asaba by the Obidient Movement and Kwankwaso Movement for the NDC.
The Asagba palace emphatically condemned the ‘forgery’ as a “malicious and despicable act” probably masterminded by political jobbers.
In a disclaimer signed by Chief Philips E. Nwokolo, Chief of Staff to the Palace, the royal father disowned the forged statement and reiterated his insistence on peaceful and lawful electioneering towards the 2027 general election across Delta State and the country in general.
Titled Royal Public Notice, the disclaimer read in part: “The attention of the Palace of His Royal Majesty, the Asagba of Asaba, has been drawn to a publication on a fake palace letterhead paper purportedly addressing the Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi, on the unfortunate incident that occurred in Asaba yesterday (Saturday) during NDC’s campaign rally.
“The Palace of His Royal Majesty, the Asagba of Asaba wishes to inform the 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.
“His Royal Majesty had earlier granted a press conference where he made the position of the palace very clear.
“His Royal Majesty, in his press conference, condemned the acts of political intolerance that occurred yesterday as he maintained that Asaba, as the most peaceful capital city in Nigeria, is against violence of any sort, be it political or otherwise.
“His Royal Majesty admonished politicians and political parties to respect the wishes of the people at all times while also advising political parties to seek adequate security protection before engaging in any rally or peace protest.
“Therefore, the false narrative that HRM berates Mr. Peter Obi and his political pressure groups for being solely responsible for yesterday’s unrest, using Artificial Intelligence to produce fake palace letterhead and signature, shows how desperate some political actors have become, and must be nipped in the bud by the appropriate quarters.
“Finally, the palace urges media professionals and members of the public to disregard the said publication and place no value on it as both the letterhead paper and the signature therein are fake.”
Condemnations have continued to trail bloody incident from individuals and groups, but the Delta State Police Command has not reacted yo the incident even as organisers accused the police of practically denying them of adequate security for the event.
The State Police Command has yet to make any arrest following the forgery allegation by the palace of the Asagba of Asaba, at the time the report was filed yesterday.
Meanwhile, social media is abuzz as fingers are pointing to a popular aide to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori (name withheld) as the first person to post or circulate the allegedly forged royal document and statement on the internet on November 8, 2026, at 7:53 a.m.
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