The Delta North Local Government Chairmen have distanced themselves from a document supporting the creation of Anioma State, over the alleged forging of their signatures and stamps on it.
This came few hours after the conclusion of the public hearing on the creation of Anioma State by Senator Prince Ned Nwoko in Akwa Ibom State.
The document, which has gone viral on social media and other platforms, claimed to bear the signatures and stamps of the nine Local Government Council Chairmen in Delta North Senatorial District but the respective chairman denied them, saying they were forged
“We wish to state unequivocally that, we are not in any way against the creation of Anioma State but that due process has to be followed,” the chairmen said.
“We neither saw, reviewed, nor signed the document purporting to support the creation of Anioma State from Delta State. At no time did any of us authorize any member of our management team or any individual to sign such a document on our behalf in our respective councils.”
The chairmen who were appalled by the development, also denied holding any private meetings with Senator Ned Nwoko on the subject.
“As of today, none of us have held any private meeting with Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, who is purportedly championing the movement for the creation of Anyama State,” the chairmen stated.
They harped on the importance of transparency and accountability, stating, “The creation of a new state is a constitutional matter of serious national importance and should neither be conducted by proxy nor enveloped in secrecy or misrepresentation of people’s interests.”
The chairmen urged the public to disregard the document, describing it as “fake, forged, and devoid of any legitimacy or authority.” They added, “We urge the general public to disregard, in its entirety, the aforementioned document being circulated by individuals acting with clear mischief and fraudulent intent.”
The chairmen have initiated legal and administrative steps to investigate and identify the individuals responsible for the forgery.
Full Statement:
“FORUM OF DELTA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN, DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE
To Whom It May Concern,
Our attention has been drawn to a document titled: “ REQUEST FOR THE CREATION OF ANIOMA STATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISION OF SECTION 8 (1) a (III) OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA 1999 (AS AMENDED) currently circulating across various social media platforms, publications, and also forwarded to some offices purportedly endorsed by us — the Chairmen of the nine (9) Local Government Councils within the Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State, that is now been referred to as Anioma.
We wish to state unequivocally that, we are not in any way against the creation of Anioma State but that due process has to be followed. For the record, we wish to categorically state that we neither saw, reviewed, nor signed the document purporting to support the creation of Anioma state from Delta State. At no time did any of us authorize any member of our management team or any individual to sign such a document on our behalf in our respective councils.
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to emphatically reiterate that we did not authorize any person in our respective councils in Delta North, Delta State, Nigeria, or elsewhere to act or sign on our behalf. In fact, none of us had prior knowledge of this document until it surfaced in the public domain.
As of today, none of us have held any private meeting with Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, who is purportedly championing the movement for the creation of Anyama State. Additionally, we have never convened or participated in any meeting with Senator Ned Nwoko where the subject of creating Anioma State was discussed. At no time did any of us endorse, support, or consent to any document related to such a matter.
The creation of a new state is a constitutional matter of serious national importance and should neither be conducted by proxy or enveloped in secrecy or misrepresentation of people’s interests.
While there may be differing views on the proposed Anioma State and ongoing efforts by Senator Ned Nwoko, we firmly believe that any such process must be rooted in due process, transparency, and broad-based consensus. It must not be pursued through falsehood, coercion, impersonation, or forgery.
We urge the general public to disregard, in its entirety, the aforementioned document being circulated by individuals acting with clear mischief and fraudulent intent. From our collective official standpoint as Executive Chairmen of the nine Local Government Councils in Delta North, we categorically state that the document is fake, forged, and devoid of any legitimacy or authority, and we refute the said document in its entirety.
In our respective councils, we have initiated appropriate legal and administrative steps to investigate and identify the individuals responsible for forging the chairmen’s stamp and signature or signing on behalf of the Executive Chairmen”
