KEY POINTS

• House of Representatives proceedings became heated after Philip Agbese alleged his signature was forged on a document endorsing Ikenga Ugochinyere as Minority Leader.
• Ugochinyere denied the allegation, insisting Agbese personally signed the endorsement document.
• The disagreement triggered a shouting match among lawmakers, prompting Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to refer the matter to the Minority Caucus.

The House of Representatives was thrown into a tense and rowdy session on Thursday following allegations of forgery surrounding the ongoing contest for the position of Minority Leader. The controversy began when Deputy House Spokesperson, Philip Agbese, accused individuals of forging his signature on a document that reportedly endorsed Ikenga Ugochinyere for the vacant Minority Leader position.

The development sparked heated exchanges among lawmakers and exposed deep divisions within the opposition caucus over who should occupy one of the most influential positions in the House.

The position of Minority Leader became vacant after the resignation and defection of former occupant Kingsley Chinda from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Chinda recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State, creating the need for a replacement within the minority bloc.

Subsequently, reports emerged that about 61 members of the Minority Caucus had endorsed Ikenga Ugochinyere, a lawmaker elected on the platform of the Action Peoples Party (APP), for the position.

However, the endorsement quickly became controversial after Agbese challenged the authenticity of the signatures attached to the nomination document.

Agbese Denies Endorsing Ugochinyere

Raising a matter of personal privilege on the floor of the House, Agbese firmly denied signing any document supporting Ugochinyere’s candidacy.

The Benue lawmaker stated that while he had discussions with Ugochinyere concerning the welfare of minority lawmakers and issues affecting constituency projects, he never authorised the use of his name or signature for any leadership endorsement.

Agbese expressed concern that the publication of the endorsement list had damaged his reputation and infringed upon his legislative privileges.

He also dismissed reports suggesting that lawmakers who supported Ugochinyere received financial inducements, insisting that he neither received money nor participated in any arrangement linked to the endorsement campaign.

According to him, he intends to submit both the disputed list and online publications carrying the information for investigation by the House.

Adding another layer to the controversy were allegations circulating on social media that lawmakers supporting Ugochinyere may have been financially rewarded.

Although no evidence was presented during plenary, Agbese publicly distanced himself from the claims and denied receiving any money from any individual or group.

He stressed that protecting his integrity was the primary reason for raising the matter before the House and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disputed endorsement.

In response, Ugochinyere sought to address the allegations through a motion of personal explanation.

The Imo lawmaker rejected the forgery claims and maintained that Agbese voluntarily signed the endorsement document.

According to Ugochinyere, Agbese was not present at the meeting where the majority of minority lawmakers selected him as their preferred candidate for Minority Leader.

However, he claimed that Agbese later visited his office and personally appended his signature to the endorsement document.

Ugochinyere further stated that he was prepared to provide witnesses and documentary evidence to support his claims and prove that no forgery took place.