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G-60 Fires Back at Agbese, Insists No Signature Was Forged in Ugochinyere’s Minority Leader Bid
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…group claim CCTV footage show lawmaker signing endorsement document
By Gloria Ikibah
The G-60 Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has dismissed allegations that signatures on the nomination document endorsing Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader were forged, insisting that all lawmakers who signed the document did so voluntarily.
The group’s response comes barely hours after a dramatic session on the floor of the House in which Deputy House Spokesperson, Rep. Philip Agbese, alleged that his signature had been forged on a list endorsing Ugochinyere’s emergence as Minority Leader.
The dispute is the latest twist in the battle for the leadership of the minority caucus following the resignation of former Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda.
In a statement signed by Rep. Mukhtar Umar and Rep. Seyi Sowunmi on behalf of the G-60 Minority Caucus, lawmakers maintained that the endorsement process was transparent and enjoyed overwhelming support among opposition members.
“There is no forgery or fake signature in the nomination of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere of the Action People’s Party (APP) for the position of Minority Leader.
“Contrary to claims made by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese at the plenary today, all signatures appended to the nomination document were voluntarily provided by the lawmakers concerned. Out of the 81 members that constitute the Minority Caucus, 61 lawmakers willingly signed in support of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere’s nomination to fill the vacancy created by the exit of Hon. Kingsley Chinda following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his subsequent emergence as the party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State”, the caucus said.
The lawmakers directly challenged Agbese’s claim that his signature was forged, describing the allegation as inaccurate and misleading.
The group said the controversy should not be allowed to undermine what it described as a democratic and transparent process carried out by members of the opposition caucus.
According to the caucus, “We note with concern the allegation by Hon. Philip Agbese that his signature was forged on the endorsement list. This claim is false and misleading. To establish the facts and dispel any misinformation, video evidence exists showing Hon. Agbese personally signing the nomination document and it will be sent out with this statement in the interest of transparency and accountability.
“We remain committed to due process, unity, and the collective interest of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Attempts to discredit a transparent and democratic process through unfounded allegations should be discouraged. We urge members of the public and the media to disregard claims of forgery and rely on verifiable facts regarding the nomination process.”
The latest development is expected to intensify the ongoing contest over the leadership of the minority bloc, with the House leadership already moving to engage opposition lawmakers in consultations aimed at resolving the dispute.
At the centre of the controversy is Ugochinyere’s claim that 61 of the 81 minority lawmakers have endorsed his nomination for Minority Leader, a development that has exposed deep divisions within the opposition caucus and triggered competing claims over the legitimacy of the process.
With both sides standing firmly by their positions and fresh evidence now being cited by the G-60 group, attention is likely to shift to any formal investigation by the House leadership into the allegations and counter-allegations surrounding the minority leadership contest.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has arraigned former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna over an alleged N8.68 billion fraud linked to a CCTV surveillance contract.
Arraigned alongside the ex-governor were his former Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor, Jimi Adebisi Lawal, and five companies over allegations bordering on corruption, money laundering, and financial misconduct.
The case, filed under charge number FHC/KD/93C/2026, was brought before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court, Kaduna.
Other defendants listed in the amended 11-count charge include Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited, and Noble Coast Resources Limited.
The anti-graft agency equally mentioned Bashir El-Rufai, identified as an elder brother of the former governor, in one of the counts. He is currently said to be at large.
The ICPC stated that the charges stem from the award of a contract for the procurement, survey planning, final design, and installation of a Closed-Circuit Television, CCTV, surveillance system across the Kaduna metropolis.
The anti-graft agency alleged that El-Rufai, while serving as governor, approved the contract worth over eight billion naira, N8,682,574,054.94, in favour of Singularity Network Security Limited, despite the company allegedly lacking the required technical capacity and experience to execute such a project.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has evacuated the second batch of its citizens, numbering 66 people from South Africa over xenophobic attacks.
The evacuees landed at the Lagos international airport on Wednesday night as part of the Federal Government’s ongoing evacuation exercise approved by President Bola Tinubu, following the latest xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Recall that on June 11, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived in the country aboard a chartered Air Peace flight.
Head of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, in Lagos, Dipo Onabowale, said the latest evacuation was facilitated by Kunle Soname, chairman and chief executive officer of ValueJet, with officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanying the returnees.
Onabowale, who spoke on behalf of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, NiDCOM chairman, commended Tinubu for approving the evacuation.
“There are 66 people in the second batch. Logistical challenges encountered during the first evacuation exercise are being addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has assured that all registered Nigerians in South Africa would be evacuated,” Onabowale said.
The Ondo State Government has sanctioned a group of students involved in a viral “sign-out” video, ordering the withholding of their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results and placing their names in a newly established school misconduct register, popularly referred to as the “black book.”
The disciplinary action was announced by the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology following an emergency meeting held at the ministry’s headquarters in Akure to address the incident, which sparked widespread reactions on social media.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the affected students are from Oyemekun Grammar School, Aquinas Secondary School and CAC Grammar School. The viral video, recorded after the completion of the 2026 WASSCE, allegedly showed graduating students engaging in unruly behaviour, including tearing their school uniforms and chanting inappropriate slogans.
As part of the sanctions, the ministry said the official school testimonials and WASSCE results of the 17 identified students would be withheld indefinitely, while their names would be entered into the misconduct register of their respective schools.
The government also directed all school principals in the state to establish a “black book” for documenting cases of student misconduct. In addition, senior officers at the affected schools have been issued official queries for what the ministry described as inadequate supervision that allowed the celebrations to degenerate into disorder.
The ministry further ordered the immediate expulsion of any student featured in the video who is not in a terminal class.
Speaking after the disciplinary hearing, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the government supports the celebration of academic milestones but would not tolerate actions capable of tarnishing the image of the state’s education sector.
“The growing sign-out culture among secondary school students must be guided by decency. We will not fold our arms and watch the discipline we have painstakingly instilled in our schools be eroded for the sake of social media clout,” he said.
Ajibefun added that the government remained committed to protecting the integrity of the educational system and would not allow acts of indiscipline to disrupt learning in schools.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Akindele Ige, urged school principals to promptly report signs of unrest to the Zonal Education Office and the ministry to prevent situations from escalating.
The ministry also disclosed that the affected students and their parents had been summoned to receive official letters detailing the sanctions imposed on them.
Officials said the measures were intended to serve as a deterrent to other students and reinforce discipline across secondary schools in Ondo State.
ICPC arraigns El-Rufai, six others over alleged N8.68bn CCTV contract fraud
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