Ugochinyere Forged My Signature, I Didn’t Endorse Him – Agbese Insists

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has insisted that his signature on the document used to endorse Ikenga Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader was forged.

Agbese, in a statement on Friday, explained that his signature was appended to a document for a different purpose but was later used without his authorisation to back Ugochinyere’s bid for the minority leadership position.

Naija News reports that the fresh clarification follows the heated exchange between Agbese and Ugochinyere on the floor of the House on Thursday over the same issue.

The dispute began when Agbese raised a matter of personal privilege, accusing Ugochinyere of using his signature without authorisation in a document purportedly nominating him for the office of minority leader.

Agbese told the House that he was shocked to discover a document circulating online bearing his name and signature in support of Ugochinyere’s bid for the opposition leadership position.

According to him, while he had held discussions with several lawmakers, including Ugochinyere, on issues concerning the welfare of minority lawmakers and constituency projects, he never endorsed any nomination document.

In the statement on Friday, Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, said his position remained unchanged following a presentation he made on the floor of the House on Thursday under Order 6 Rule 2.

“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 lawmaker stated.

He argued that the use of his signature for a purpose other than the one for which it was obtained amounted to forgery, stressing that he would not allow his endorsement to be used in any manner that could compromise the integrity of the House.

Agbese further expressed readiness to appear before any committee of the House investigating the matter, including the alleged financial inducement of lawmakers, and called for a transparent and impartial review of the dispute.

“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 urged all parties involved to allow the House’s internal mechanisms and due process to determine the facts, saying the outcome would serve the interests of truth, institutional integrity and the unity of the Minority Caucus.