There was a heated exchange in the House of Representatives on Thursday between a member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Philip Agbese and his fellow lawmaker, Ikenga Ugochinyere.
It was gathered that the crisis erupted when Agbese alleged that Ugochinyere used his signature without authorisation in a document purportedly nominating him for the office of minority leader.
Agbese told the House that he was shocked to discover a document in circulation online with his name and signature in support of Ugochinyere’s bid for the opposition leadership position.
He said he had held discussions with several lawmakers including Ugochinyere on issues of the welfare of minority lawmakers and constituency projects but never endorsed any nomination document.
“I feel my legislative privilege has been breached because if I sign this document, that amounts to forgery for my signature to be used for purposes for which it was not intended,” Agbese stated.
He urged the House leadership to probe the matter and stop what he described as more attempts by Ugochinyere and his cohorts to smear his image.
He also dismissed reports circulating on social media that some lawmakers were given $50,000 to support one of the candidates for the minority leadership position.
“My constituents have been reaching out to me. I have not received any sum of money from any person and I shall not receive. “This is my integrity,” he told me.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen replied that he heard Agbese’s complaints and assured him of looking into the matter.
“We will return to you on the issue you have raised in due course. But again, I want to bring to the notice of all the minority members that I am calling all the minority members of this House for a closed-door meeting today by 2 p.m. so that we can discuss further,” Abbas said.
Things, however, took a turn for the worse when Ugochinyere sought the indulgence of the Speaker to make a personal explanation insisting that, the allegations made against him on the floor and during a live broadcast could not go unanswered.
The Imo lawmaker denied the forgery allegation, saying that Agbese personally signed the nomination form to support his ambition to become the minority leader.
He said Agbese came to a meeting venue and voluntarily endorsed his nomination in the presence of several lawmakers who could testify to the development.
Agbese cut him off several times, yelling, “I never did that!” His remarks were greeted with loud protests.
The exchange devolved into a shouting match with lawmakers on both sides joining in and the Speaker having to repeatedly call for order as some members tried to calm the situation.
Despite the uproar, Ugochinyere said his nomination had the support of most opposition lawmakers.
“I understand that at the moment the overwhelming majority of 61 members out of 81 opposition members voted for me. “They will go to this level of desperation, I never thought it will come to this level, it may not be palatable to some people,” he said.
The charge of forgery was “a treacherous lie,” he said, and he would produce witnesses present at the signing of the nomination document.
The Speaker again intervened, telling the lawmakers to stop trading words and let the issue be addressed at the planned meeting of opposition members.
But before normalcy could be restored, another lawmaker rose on a point of order, saying that Ugochinyere’s claim that he was elected by opposition members should be expunged from the records of the House as the matter was not formally before the chamber.
The lawmaker said the only official way for the opposition caucus to determine and present its leadership to the House was through an official vote and that any declaration made on the floor was a personal opinion.410
Hon. Dr. Philip “Okanga” Agbese, a transformative leader in Enone. Discover his achievements, community projects, and vision for 2027
