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.
BACKGROUND
On Wednesday, some opposition lawmakers nominated
Ugochiyere, lawmaker representing Ideato north/Ideato south federal
constituency in Imo, for the minority leader position to succeed Kingsley
Chinda, lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor federal constituency, who vacated the
role after emerging as the All Progressives Congress (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”.
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