The political battle over the removal of the member representing Udu State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Collins Egbetamah, escalated on Tuesday as former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, accused Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of orchestrating what he described as the unconstitutional removal of the lawmaker and the disenfranchisement of the people of Udu.

In a statement titled “Defending the Indefensible: Our Response to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on the Unconstitutional Removal of Hon. Collins Egbetamah,” signed by his special adviser on strategy and communications, Hon. Godwin Anaughe, Omo-Agege’s office rejected the governor’s demand that the former Senate President remove a video criticising the removal of Egbetamah, apologise to the Delta State House of Assembly, and embrace issue-based politics.

Omo-Agege’s camp, however, fired back with a response titled:“Read the Constitution. Not selectively. Not conveniently. All of it.”

In the statement, Anaughe argued that the governor’s intervention in the controversy had inadvertently exposed what it called Government House’s direct involvement in Egbetamah’s removal.

According to him, the decision by Governor Oborevwori’s media aide to publicly defend the House of Assembly’s action raised serious questions about the independence of the legislature.

“The removal of Hon. Collins Egbetamah was an internal matter of the Delta State House of Assembly — a separate arm of government with its own leadership and spokespersons. The speaker had already spoken. There was no basis for Government House to intervene. Yet it did,” the statement said.

It added that the administration’s intervention had effectively answered the question many residents of Udu had been asking since the lawmaker’s removal on June 30.

“The decision to publicly defend the removal confirms what many suspected all along — that the House did not act independently. It executed a political directive from Government House in Asaba. With that statement, the administration has placed its fingerprints permanently on this unconstitutional act.”

The Omo-Agege camp further alleged that Egbetamah had been subjected to sustained political persecution long before his eventual removal from office.

“Before Governor Oborevwori defected to the APC, Hon. Egbetamah endured two full years of deliberate punishment inside the House — no salary, no allowances, no constituency project funds. His crime? Loyalty. He refused to betray the APC when it was politically convenient to do so,” the statement claimed.

The former Deputy Senate President’s office also challenged the constitutional basis for Egbetamah’s removal, insisting that the lawmaker was denied his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed under Section 36 of the constitution.

“Hon. Egbetamah was not heard. He was given no notice. He was denied the opportunity to invoke the constitutional exception for party division. The House convened, voted by voice, and declared his seat vacant in a single sitting. If this was truly settled constitutional law, why the single sitting? Why the voice vote? Why no prior notice?” the statement queried.

While dismissing allegations that Omo-Agege’s video contained falsehoods, the statement challenged the governor to specifically identify any inaccurate claims.

“The video stated that Hon. Egbetamah was denied a fair hearing — true. That the removal was rushed and politically motivated — the timeline proves it. That the people of Udu have been left without representation — that is the direct and documented consequence of what the House did. Every statement is accurate. If the Governor believes otherwise, he is invited to identify the specific inaccuracy. We are waiting.”

The statement also took aim at Governor Oborevwori’s development record, arguing that infrastructure projects cited by the administration did not excuse alleged constitutional violations.

It claimed that Delta State had received more than ₦3 trillion in federal allocations during the governor’s tenure and called for greater accountability regarding the use of public funds.

“The roads, bridges and dialysis machines funded by three trillion naira aren’t acts of generosity; they’re the bare minimum we should expect. We need a thorough breakdown of what that money has actually achieved, where it went, and whether it has truly made a difference in the lives of everyday Deltans.”

On suggestions that Omo-Agege’s stance could affect his political fortunes ahead of the 2027 elections, the statement dismissed such concerns, insisting that defending constitutional rights transcended electoral calculations.

“Senator Omo-Agege survived an unconstitutional attempt to remove him from his own Senate seat. The judiciary held the line then. He stood firm then. He Is standing firm now. He does not calculate the political cost of speaking up for people whose constitutional rights have been violated.”

Reaffirming its position, the statement declared that Omo-Agege would neither withdraw the controversial video nor apologise to the House of Assembly.

“The people of Udu lost their representative not because a court convicted him, not because they recalled him, and not because he resigned. They lost him because a House of Assembly, acting on orders from Asaba, decided in a single afternoon that their voice did not matter.

“This matter will be resolved in court. The Constitution belongs to every Nigerian. It belongs to the people of Udu. And it will be upheld. Udu is not a conquered territory. Its mandate is sacred. And Senator Ovie Omo-Agege will not be bullied into abandoning its people.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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