Philip Agbese, deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, has called for a transparent investigation into the alleged forgery of his signature in the endorsement of Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere for the position of minority leader.
On Wednesday, some opposition lawmakers nominated Ugochinyere, the lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, for the minority leader position to succeed Kingsley Chinda, the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, who vacated the role after emerging as the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State.
On Thursday, during the House of Representatives plenary session, Agbese, a member of the Labour Party (LP), denied endorsing Ugochinyere to lead the minority caucus.
Agbese alleged that his signature was forged on the document nominating Ugochinyere for the role — a claim the Action People’s Party (APP) lawmaker dismissed as an “outrageous lie”.
Ugochinyere, who chairs the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), subsequently released CCTV footage of Agbese allegedly signing the endorsement document in his office.
‘Unauthorised Use Of My Signature’
In a statement issued on Friday, Agbese insisted that his signature was used without his authorisation to endorse Ugochinyere to lead the opposition lawmakers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I signed a document with Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere for a specific purpose. However, my signature was later used for an entirely different and unauthorised purpose: the purported endorsement of Hon. Ugochinyere as Minority Leader of the House. I did not, at any point, endorse him for that position,” the statement reads.
“I remain unequivocal: the use of my signature for purposes other than what was expressly agreed upon constitutes forgery. I will continue to sign official documents in the discharge of my legislative duties, but I will never allow my signature to be used for any act that compromises the integrity of this House or borders on criminality.
“The purported endorsement of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere is one such unacceptable exception. My reasons for this firm position are as follows: the visible desperation exhibited by certain individuals in their attempt to obtain my signature by all means possible.”
Agbese said there are “several reports” that Ugochinyere allegedly bribed members to sign the documents.
“That said, I remain open and willing to appear before any relevant committee of the House for a full, transparent, and impartial review of all the facts surrounding this issue,” he said.
Agbese asked Nigerians to “allow due process and the internal mechanisms of the House to take their proper course in the interest of truth, integrity, and the unity of the minority caucus”.
