A heated confrontation broke out in the House of Representatives on Thursday as opposition lawmakers clashed over the race for the position of Minority Leader, exposing growing divisions within the opposition caucus.
The disagreement, which centred on allegations of forgery, blackmail and attempts to influence the leadership contest, disrupted proceedings and forced Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to repeatedly intervene.
The controversy began when the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Philip Agbese, raised a matter of personal privilege during plenary.
Agbese accused the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, of using his signature without authorisation on a document said to support Ugochinyere’s bid for the Minority Leader position.
The Benue lawmaker said he was surprised to see a nomination document circulating online bearing his name and signature. He maintained that although he had held discussions with several lawmakers, including Ugochinyere, on matters relating to opposition lawmakers and constituency projects, he never endorsed his aspiration for Minority Leader.
According to Agbese, the use of his signature amounted to a breach of his legislative privilege and should be investigated by the House leadership.
He also dismissed reports circulating on social media alleging that lawmakers were offered $50,000 to support a particular candidate in the leadership contest.
Agbese insisted he had not received money from anyone and would not compromise his integrity for political gain.
Responding to the complaint, Speaker Abbas assured the House that the allegations would be examined. He, however, appealed to lawmakers not to escalate the matter on the floor of the chamber.
The Speaker disclosed that he had already scheduled a closed-door meeting with opposition lawmakers later in the day to discuss the leadership crisis and seek a resolution.
The situation became more tense when Ugochinyere was granted permission to respond to the allegations.
The Imo lawmaker denied forging Agbese’s signature and insisted that the Benue lawmaker personally signed the nomination document in the presence of several witnesses.
According to Ugochinyere, Agbese willingly endorsed the form during a meeting attended by other lawmakers who could verify the claim.
His remarks immediately drew strong reactions from Agbese, who repeatedly interrupted him and denied signing any such document.
The disagreement quickly escalated into a shouting match as lawmakers from both camps exchanged words across the chamber.
Despite the uproar, Ugochinyere maintained that he enjoyed the support of a majority of opposition lawmakers.
He claimed that 61 out of the 81 opposition members in the House had endorsed his candidacy and described the forgery allegation as false and politically motivated.
The Speaker again intervened and urged members to suspend further arguments until the matter could be addressed at the caucus meeting.
Before normalcy fully returned, another lawmaker raised a point of order, arguing that Ugochinyere’s claim of being elected by opposition members should not form part of the official records since no formal decision had been communicated to the House.
The member maintained that only the opposition caucus could officially determine and announce its leadership.
The dispute comes amid growing uncertainty within the opposition bloc following recent political realignments and internal crises affecting several opposition parties.
Former Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, recently resigned from the position after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress ahead of his governorship ambition in Rivers State.
Since then, opposition lawmakers have been divided over who should emerge as the next Minority Leader.
Political observers believe the contest reflects wider struggles within the opposition, particularly following internal challenges within the PDP and shifting alliances among lawmakers.
Thursday’s confrontation highlighted the intensity of the battle, with rival camps openly displaying their differences on the floor of the House.
Attention is now focused on the outcome of the Speaker’s closed-door meeting, which is expected to play a key role in determining the future leadership of the opposition caucus in the House of Representatives.