Disagreement on Endorsement: Minority Caucus Releases Video to Clear Forgery Claims

Minority members in the House of Representatives have shown that signatures were not forged in the nomination of Ikenga Ugochinyere for minority leader. They say all signatories freely endorsed him.

The lawmakers, part of the G-60 Minority Caucus, made this clear in a statement signed by Mukhtar Umar (NDC, Kano) and Seyi Sowunmi (NDC, Lagos) on Thursday. This came hours after a heated argument in the House about the authenticity of an endorsement document backing Mr Ugochinyere.

The statement responded to claims by the deputy House spokesperson, Philip Agbese (APC, Benue). During a plenary session, he said his signature was forged on a document that supposedly showed support for Mr Ugochinyere’s nomination as minority leader.

But the caucus called the allegation false and misleading. “We wish to categorically state that there was no forgery or fake signature in the nomination of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader,” the statement said.

The MPs explained that 61 out of 81 members of the Minority Caucus signed the nomination document voluntarily. They said the endorsement aimed to fill the vacancy left by former Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, who recently switched to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and became the party's governorship candidate in Rivers State.

The members also noted that video evidence showed Mr Agbese signing the nomination document. “We note with concern the allegation by Hon. Philip Agbese that his signature was forged on the endorsement list. This claim is false and misleading.

“To establish the facts and dispel any misinformation, video evidence exists showing Honourable Agbese personally signing the nomination document. It will be sent out with this statement to ensure transparency and accountability.”

They urged the public and media to ignore claims of forgery and focus on what they called verifiable evidence related to the nomination process.

Tension during plenary

The argument started during Thursday’s session when Mr Agbese raised a matter of privilege to distance himself from the endorsement document. Earlier, documents shared among journalists showed that 61 opposition lawmakers had endorsed Mr Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, for the minority leadership.

Mr Agbese reacted to the documents, denying his support for Mr Ugochinyere and claiming that his signature was fraudulently added. He explained that while he had spoken with many opposition members, including Mr Ugochinyere, those talks did not relate to the minority leader position.

“I had conversed, deliberated and visited many members of this House. One of the people I had such discussions with was my colleague, Honourable Ikenga Ugochinyere.

“Our discussion was mainly about the welfare of members of the minority. Number two was on the issue of the executive not adhering to matters concerning our constituency projects,” he said.

Mr Agbese also questioned how Mr Sowunmi, one of the signatories to the endorsement document, got his signature. He asked the House to investigate the matter and insisted that no one should use his signature for anything related to the nomination.

Ugochinyere dismisses the claim

Mr Ugochinyere quickly rejected the forgery claim, insisting that Mr Agbese willingly endorsed his nomination. He stated that Mr Agbese visited him and signed the document in front of witnesses.

He argued that the allegation was an attempt to undermine a legitimate process by opposition MPs seeking change in leadership within the minority caucus.

The conflicting claims led to a heated discussion among members from both sides, with several lawmakers speaking at once. This situation briefly disrupted proceedings as they exchanged accusations over the endorsement list's authenticity and the leadership contest.

Discussion with the Speaker

After the intense exchanges, lawmakers decided to meet with the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, to resolve the disagreement and avoid further divides within the minority caucus. Details about the meeting were not available at the time of this report.