The minority leadership crisis in the House of Representatives has taken a dramatic turn after the G-60 Minority Caucus released what it described as video evidence showing Rep. Philip Agbese, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, personally signing the nomination document endorsing Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader, directly contradicting the forgery allegation Agbese made during a live plenary session just hours earlier.
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The video release, announced in a joint statement by Hon. Mukhtar Umar and Hon. Seyi Sowunmi on behalf of the G-60 Minority Caucus, represents a potentially devastating rebuttal to Agbese’s plenary complaint, which had accused Ugochinyere of forging his signature, demanded a House investigation, and sought an order stopping Ugochinyere and his associates from “further maligning” his name.
If the video authentically shows what the G-60 caucus claims it shows, Agbese’s forgery allegation, made under parliamentary privilege on the floor of the House during a live broadcast, would itself become the subject of scrutiny, with potential implications ranging from questions about his credibility to possible disciplinary considerations for making a false claim before the chamber.
During Thursday’s plenary, Agbese raised a matter of personal privilege in which he made several serious allegations.
He accused Ugochinyere of using his signature without authorisation on a document nominating the Imo lawmaker for the office of Minority Leader. “My privilege has been infringed because this amounts to forgery. For my signature to be used for purposes which it was not intended for, I seek the leave of this House to prove and investigate and to stop further any use of my signature going forward for any of this kind of purpose,” Agbese told the House.
He also rejected social media reports alleging that opposition members received $50,000 to support a candidate in the minority leadership contest. “I have not received any amount from anybody and I would not do so. This is my integrity,” Agbese declared.
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He further asked the House to stop Ugochinyere “and members of his team or his agents or anybody acting on his behalf from further maligning my name.”
When Ugochinyere sought to respond, describing the forgery allegation as “a treacherous lie” and insisting Agbese voluntarily signed the document in the presence of witnesses, Agbese repeatedly interrupted, shouting “I never did that!” The chamber descended into a shouting match before Speaker Abbas Tajudeen intervened and convened an emergency closed-door caucus meeting for 2 PM.
Hours after the plenary confrontation, the G-60 Minority Caucus issued its statement categorically denying any forgery and announcing the release of video evidence.
“The G-60 Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives wishes to categorically state that there was no forgery or fake signature in the nomination of Ugochinyere of the Action People’s Party (APP) for the position of Minority Leader,” the statement read.
“Contrary to claims made by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese at the plenary today, all signatures appended to the nomination document were voluntarily provided by the lawmakers concerned.”
The caucus directly addressed Agbese’s specific allegation: “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.”
The statement then delivered the most consequential line: “To establish the facts and dispel any misinformation, video evidence exists showing Hon. Agbese personally signing the nomination document and it will be sent out with this statement in the interest of transparency and accountability.”
The G-60 caucus released the video alongside its statement, describing it as footage showing Agbese at the venue where the nomination document was signed, personally appending his signature to the endorsement list in the presence of other lawmakers.
If the video is authentic and clearly shows what the caucus claims, it would mean that Agbese told the House during a live plenary session that his signature was forged on a document that he had in fact voluntarily signed. The implications of such a finding would be severe, as making a false statement on the floor of the House, particularly one that accuses a fellow lawmaker of a criminal offence like forgery, goes to the heart of parliamentary integrity and the trust that the chamber and the public place in statements made under parliamentary privilege.
The G-60 caucus reiterated that 61 out of the 81 opposition lawmakers willingly signed in support of Ugochinyere’s nomination to fill the vacancy created by the exit of former Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, who defected to the APC and subsequently emerged as the party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State.
“Out of the 81 members that constitute the Minority Caucus, 61 lawmakers willingly signed in support of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere’s nomination,” the statement confirmed, representing approximately 75 per cent of the entire opposition bloc.
The caucus urged the public and media to “disregard claims of forgery and rely on verifiable facts regarding the nomination process,” describing the allegation as an attempt to “discredit a transparent and democratic process through unfounded allegations.”
Agbese had also raised the allegation during plenary that social media reports claimed opposition lawmakers received $50,000 each to support a candidate in the minority leadership race. He vehemently denied receiving any such payment.
The G-60 caucus did not directly address the bribery allegation in its statement, focusing instead on the forgery claim. However, the release of video evidence showing Agbese voluntarily signing the endorsement document may itself undermine the narrative that support for Ugochinyere was purchased rather than earned, if it can be shown that Agbese signed willingly and without any alleged financial inducement.
The release of the video shifts the burden of explanation from Ugochinyere and the G-60 caucus to Agbese himself. Several questions now arise.
If the video authentically shows Agbese signing the document, why did he tell the House during live plenary that his signature was forged? Did he sign the document and subsequently change his mind about endorsing Ugochinyere? If so, was there a proper mechanism for withdrawing his endorsement, and did he use it before making the forgery allegation? Was he pressured by a rival camp to deny his signature and make the forgery claim on the House floor? And did he consider the potential consequences of accusing a fellow lawmaker of a criminal offence on national television if the allegation was not true?
The answers to these questions will determine whether Agbese’s plenary intervention was a genuine complaint by a lawmaker whose signature was misused, or a calculated attempt to disrupt the minority leadership process and undermine Ugochinyere’s candidacy through a false allegation made under parliamentary privilege.
The release of the video does not automatically resolve the minority leadership crisis. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen had convened a closed-door meeting of minority lawmakers for 2 PM on Thursday to address the leadership question. The outcome of that meeting, and whether the Speaker accepts the G-60 caucus’s nomination of Ugochinyere as the basis for a formal announcement, remains the decisive next step.
However, the video evidence fundamentally changes the dynamics of the dispute. If the footage withstands scrutiny and clearly shows Agbese signing the document he later claimed was forged, the forgery allegation collapses, and Agbese’s credibility as a critic of the nomination process is severely compromised.
The G-60 caucus stated that it remains “committed to due process, unity, and the collective interest of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives.”
The minority leadership race continues, with the contest between Ugochinyere and rival candidate Frederick Yeitiemone Agbedi of the PDP (South-South) still unresolved. But the release of video evidence contradicting the most dramatic allegation made against Ugochinyere’s candidacy significantly strengthens his claim to the position and places the onus on those opposing his emergence to articulate grounds beyond allegations that have now been visually contradicted.
Neither Agbese nor his representatives have publicly responded to the video evidence as at the time of this report. The outcome of the Speaker’s closed-door caucus meeting has not been publicly announced.
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