NDC, Omo-Agege demand Delta Assembly’s reversal on removal of member

Mixed fractions have continued to trail Delta State House of Assembly’s (DTHA) declaration of Udu Constituency Seat vacant, even as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Ovie-Omo-Agege, the party’s Candidate for Delta Central Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections have called for the reversal of the declaration.

Emomotimi Guwor, Speaker of the DTHA, declared the seat of Collins Egbetamah (Udu Constituency) vacant for the ‘unforgivable sin’ of defecting from the APC to the NDC .

The declaration followed the adoption of a motion by Emeka Nwobi, the Leader of the House, seconded by Arthur Akpowowo, the Deputy Speaker, and unanimously approved at plenary presided over by Guwor.

Guwor declared the seat vacant in line with Section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and directed the Clerk of the House to communicate the resolution to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The NDC, in a statement signed by McCollins Nwose, the Delta State Publicity Secretary of the party, described the action as unconstitutional, unjust and political motivated.

“The decision amounted to an abuse of legislative powers and an attempt to silence opposition voices in the state. It also accused the Assembly of applying double standards”, NDC argued, adding that politicians who previously defected from the PDP to the APC retained their seats without similar sanctions.

NDC recalled that the mandate held by Egbetamah belongs to the people of Udu State Constituency and not to any political party. It maintained that removing him from office over his defection undermines the will of the electorate and violates constitutional provisions.

The party called on civil society organisations, democracy advocates, and the people of Delta State to reject what it described as a dangerous precedent and to defend constitutional democracy,.even as she reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the democratic rights and mandate of the people.

Contributing, Ovie Omo-Agege, Senator Omo-Agege in a statement by Sunny Areh, his media adviser, called on the Assembly to reverse its declaration and urged the judiciary to intervene swiftly if approached.

“I call on the Delta State House of Assembly to reverse this declaration and accord Hon. Egbetamah the fair hearing he was denied. Should the courts be invited to intervene, I urge them to act with urgency so that Udu State Constituency is not left without representation on the strength of this arbitrary, oppressive, and premeditated decision,” he said.

In defence of the DTHA, Ehichiova Ezomon, a seasoned journalist and media consultant, explainef that declaring vacant the seat of a Member of the Assembly who defected from APC to NDC is not a double standard.

Ezomon told newsmen that “The House is right because the member contravened the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), which mandates that a Member, who cross-carpets from their sponsoring party to another automatically loses their seat.

“The Constitution gives defecting members only one reprieve, which is if there is division in their Parties right from the national to the ward level. Currently, there is no division in the APC right from the unit level to the national level to warrant the member defecting to the NDC”.

On why the Speaker and other 21 members did not lose their seats,
“The DTHA Speaker Guwor and 21 PDP Members who defected from the PDP to APC retain their seats because, as of the time of their decamping, there was division in the PDP, which division persists till today. That is why they didn’t lose their seats, as the Constitution allows such defections. So, there is no double standard there”, he insisted.