The House of Representatives descended into pandemonium today after Benue Rep Philip Agbese stood up during plenary and dropped a bombshell. He accused a colleague of forging his signature to push him into a leadership race he never signed up for.
Raising a point of privilege, Agbese told the chamber his name and signature had been fraudulently used on documents backing Imo Rep Ikenga Ugochinyere for minority leader. He said he never endorsed the bid, and went further to kill rumors swirling online. Those reports claimed he collected $50,000 to back Ugochinyere. Agbese dismissed it as false and defamatory.
Things went from tense to rowdy the moment Ugochinyere asked Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for a chance to defend himself. The Imo lawmaker said he could not let the allegation sit, not with it made on the floor and aired live.
He fired back hard. Ugochinyere insisted Agbese did sign the nomination form for minority leader, and did it willingly. According to him, several lawmakers were present and could confirm it. “The signature is his, and witnesses saw it,” he argued.
That response lit the fuse. Agbese jumped to his feet and cut him off mid-sentence, shouting “I never did that!” over and over. His voice carried across the chamber as he rejected the claim completely.
Within seconds, lawmakers from both sides were on their feet. Shouts, jeers, and counter-accusations filled the room. Members loyal to each camp joined the verbal clash, turning plenary into a shouting match. The Speaker’s gavel banged repeatedly as Abbas Tajudeen called for order, but it took minutes before tempers cooled. Some senior members moved in to separate the agitated lawmakers and restore calm.
When the chamber finally settled, Speaker Tajudeen stepped in. He acknowledged Agbese’s complaint and said the House could not settle forgery claims in the open. He directed that minority caucus members would meet behind closed doors later today to sort out the leadership dispute and investigate the allegation.
The clash exposes how deep the battle for minority leader has run in the House. With accusations of forgery and bribery now on record, the closed-door session will decide if this ends as an internal fix or escalates further.
