Drama in House of Reps as Lawmaker Alleges Signature Forgery Over Ugochinyere’s Nomination

The House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session on Thursday after a lawmaker, Philip Agbese, raised an alarm that his signature was forged on a document endorsing Ikenga Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader.

Drama unfolded on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday as Philip Agbese, the lawmaker representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, vehemently denied backing Ikeagwuonu (Ikenga) Ugochinyere to become the next Minority Leader.

Raising a point of privilege during plenary, Agbese alleged that his signature was fraudulently appended to a coalition letter pushing for Ugochinyere’s elevation to the key principal office.

The uproar follows Wednesday’s reports indicating that 61 members drawn from various opposition parties had thrown their weight behind Ugochinyere, the lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State.

Ugochinyere, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Action Peoples Party (APP) in January, had been heavily tipped to succeed Kingsley Chinda as the leader of the opposition in the Green Chamber.

Chinda, who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in Rivers State, recently vacated the Minority Leader seat following his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to run as the party’s governorship candidate for Rivers State.

In a letter dated June 3, 2026, and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, the coalition of lawmakers claimed that Ugochinyere was the preferred choice of the majority of opposition members.

The document reportedly featured signatures of lawmakers from several minority parties, including the Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), among others.

However, Agbese’s explosive forgery allegation has thrown a wrench into the succession plan, sparking tension and a rowdy exchange among lawmakers during Thursday's plenary session.

The House leadership is expected to launch an investigation into the alleged forgery, even as the battle for the vacant Minority Leader position continues to heat up among opposition ranks.