Proceedings in the House of Representatives were briefly thrown into confusion on Thursday following a heated disagreement among lawmakers over the contest for the Minority Leader position, marked by allegations of forged endorsement and competing claims of support within the opposition caucus.
The dispute erupted during plenary when Philip Agbese, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, raised a matter of personal privilege, accusing Ikenga Ugochinyere of attaching his signature to a nomination document without consent.
Agbese told the chamber he was surprised to see a document circulating online bearing his name in support of Ugochinyere’s bid for the leadership role.
“I feel that my legislative privilege has been breached because this amounts to forgery for my signature to be used for purposes for which it was not intended,” he said.
He stressed that while he had engaged in discussions with colleagues on legislative issues, he never signed or approved any endorsement for the position. He also urged the House to investigate the matter and halt what he described as attempts to misrepresent his position.
Agbese further dismissed reports on social media suggesting that lawmakers received financial inducements to support specific aspirants. “I have not received any amount of money from anybody and I will not do so,” he said.
In his response, Ugochinyere denied the allegation, insisting that Agbese personally signed the nomination form during a meeting attended by several lawmakers. He maintained that witnesses present could confirm the process.
The Imo lawmaker described the allegation as false and politically motivated, saying, “I understand that at the moment, the overwhelming majority of 61 members out of 81 opposition members elected me. It may not go down well with some people, but I never expected that their desperation would get to this level.”
As the exchange intensified on the floor, Agbese repeatedly interrupted to reject the claim, shouting that he never signed any such document. The disagreement escalated into a shouting match involving other lawmakers, forcing repeated calls for order.
The situation prompted intervention from the presiding officer, Abbas Tajudeen, who appealed for restraint and confirmed that the matter would be addressed.
“We will take action on the issue you have raised in due course,” the Speaker said. He also announced a closed-door meeting of minority lawmakers scheduled for later in the day to resolve the leadership dispute.
Before calm returned, another lawmaker raised a point of order, arguing that claims about the Minority leadership arrangement should not be treated as formal House proceedings, since the decision lies with the opposition caucus.
The session eventually continued after order was restored, but the confrontation exposed widening divisions within the opposition bloc as rival groups continue to contest control of key leadership positions in the chamber.
