Nigeria House of Reps: Minority leadership nomination sparks forgery claims

A leadership tussle within Nigeria's House of Representatives has intensified, with lawmakers clashing over the nomination for the minority leader position. The controversy flared up on Thursday when Deputy House Spokesperson Philip Agbese publicly disavowed any endorsement of Ikenga Ugochinyere for the role.

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Yesterday I saw a document on the internet with my name reportedly nominating a member of this House for the post of minority leader.

Agbese, representing the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, accused an unnamed member of forging his signature on a document that purportedly listed 61 out of 81 opposition members supporting Ugochinyere. The dispute led to heated exchanges during plenary sessions, briefly disrupting proceedings.

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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 basically centred on the welfare of members of the caucus. Number two was the issue of the executive not adhering to issues concerning our constituency projects.

During Thursday's session, Agbese raised a point of privilege, stating that his signature was used without his consent. He clarified that while he had discussed issues affecting the opposition and constituency projects with various MPs, including Ugochinyere, these conversations did not pertain to the minority leadership race.

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The person who signed this document, Honourable Seyi …I have not seen him since December 2025, so I am at a loss and I feel that my legislative privilege has been breached because this amounts to forgery for my signature to be used for purposes which were not intended.

Adding to the controversy, Agbese questioned the authenticity of the endorsement document, citing that one signatory, Seyi Sowunmi, had not been seen since December 2025. He expressed concern that his legislative privilege had been breached and requested an investigation into the matter. Agbese also denied reports that MPs received $50,000 in connection with the endorsement, calling them attempts to tarnish his image.

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I saw on a social media blog that members have received a certain amount of money. I have not received any amount of money from anybody.