TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
RE: PURPORTED PROPOSAL ON REPRESENTATION AND ROTATION IN BENDE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
I have been made aware of a document circulating as a purported proposal on representation and rotation in Bende Federal Constituency.
The document is said to have been signed by me, Rev. Emmanuel Trumps Eke, and my Principal, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Ph.D., CFR.
I wish to state categorically that neither I, nor my Principal, signed any such document. It is false and an outright fabrication.
Furthermore, I draw attention to the following points.
1. The font and style of writing the names of Traditional Rulers and dates inserted on the signatory page of the document makes it clear that it is an outright forgery.
2. Letter one was purported to have been produced on February 4, 2019. The date of the second document is 19th January, 2019. If the traditional rulers have already settled a matter in January, why do we need to seek the same reliefs in February?
3. The Traditional Ruler who is purported to have signed as Chairman of Bende South in 2019, Eze Patrick Ude, was not Chairman of Bende South Traditional Rulers Council in 2019.
4. A document produced by Traditional Rulers of Bende will be placed on their official letter head with the appropriate official accouterments and not on a facsimile paper.
5. The traditional rulers, whose names are listed as signatories and witnesses to the document, have, at various fora, denied that any such document exists or that they signed it.
6. I have just spoken to Eze Onuoha Akaliro, Eze Jerry Akpala Igwe and Eze Patrick Ude and all three have affirmed, once again, that no such document was either signed or witnessed by them.
7. The first page is a bromide of a letter we wrote to Bende Stakeholders in 2019 soliciting their support. They have removed the original content of the letter and superimposed their forgery.
8. I therefore state without equivilocation that the document in circulation is fake and an outright forgery.
9. For the avoidance of doubt, I reiterate again that no such conversation or agreement about tenure and turn took place with anyone, to the best of my knowledge.
10. With due respect to our traditional rulers, questions of political representation and rotation are matters for the political stakeholders of Bende like Bende Political Forum to deliberate on; they cannot be settled by attributing an agreement to traditional rulers without their consent.
11. It is regrettable that this purported document is being used to advance a narrative about “turn” and political agreements. Those making such claims should focus on presenting their plans and proposals directly to the people of Bende, rather than relying on a forged document.
12. I urge the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of any document before sharing it. Those responsible for producing, or knowingly distributing a forged document, will be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Rev. Emmanuel Trumps Eke
Director-General
Benjamin Kalu Campaign Council
