Nigeria’s Department of State Service (DSS) has been urged to launch an urgent investigation into allegations involving Ikenga Ugochinyere, the lawmaker for Ideato North/Ideato South in Imo State, and more than 60 other members of the House of Representatives amid a controversy described as a dollar inducement scheme sweeping through parliament.
The call was made in a petition dated June 5, 2026, released by the Centre for Legislative Accountability and Democratic Integrity (CLADI). The document was signed by CLADI’s National President, Usman Abdullahi, and its Secretary, Barr Chika Nwafo.
CLADI asked the DSS to immediately investigate claims that lawmakers received financial inducements connected to the contest for the post of minority leader in the House of Representatives. The group specifically requested scrutiny of Ugochinyere and over 60 opposition lawmakers it said were implicated in what it termed an endorsement scandal.
In the petition titled “Request for Immediate Investigation into Alleged Financial Inducement of Members of the House of Representatives in the Contest for Minority Leadership Position,” the civil society organisation said the allegations pose a serious risk to the credibility of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s democratic structures.
The petition highlighted reports suggesting that legislators may have been offered financial incentives of as much as $50,000 to back a particular candidate for minority leadership. CLADI argued that such claims are too serious to be ignored by security and anti-corruption bodies.
The petition comes after renewed political turmoil around Ugochinyere’s rise as minority leader following the resignation of Kingsley Chinda, who is now the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State.
It also recalled that on Thursday, the House erupted into a tense and disorderly session after Philip Agbese, a member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo in Benue State, accused Ugochinyere of forging his signature on a document purportedly endorsing him.
On Friday, Ugochinyere responded by releasing a video showing Agbese’s endorsement.
CLADI said the dispute and the broader allegations, if not properly addressed, could further weaken public trust in the legislative chamber.
“The National Assembly holds a special place in our constitutional democracy. Any claim that senior figures in the legislature are being installed through financial inducement rather than democratic agreement amounts to a direct attack on the institution’s credibility and must be fully examined,” the petition stated.
“We are raising this matter with you because there are extensive reports that significant sums of foreign currency ($50,000) were offered to lawmakers to obtain their signatures and secure support. Even though these claims are still allegations, the seriousness of the issue demands urgent and impartial investigation,” the petition added.
“No member of the public should be permitted to undermine the standing of the House of Representatives. If public officers exchanged money to shape who emerges as parliamentary leadership, that would be a betrayal of the electorate and an affront to democratic principles,” the petitioners concluded.
