The political dispute surrounding the removal of the member representing Udu State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Collins Egbetamah, deepened as former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, accused Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of masterminding what he described as the unconstitutional removal of the lawmaker and the disenfranchisement of the people of Udu.
Responding to the Delta State Government’s criticism, Omo-Agege, through a statement titled “Defending the Indefensible: Our Response to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on the Unconstitutional Removal of Hon. Collins Egbetamah,” dismissed the governor’s demand that he delete a video condemning Egbetamah’s removal, apologise to the Delta State House of Assembly, and focus on issue-based politics.
The statement, signed by Omo-Agege’s Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Hon. Godwin Anaughe, instead, urged the governor to study the Constitution in its entirety.
“Read the Constitution. Not selectively. Not conveniently. All of it,” it stated.
Anaughe maintained that the governor’s decision to publicly address the controversy had inadvertently reinforced claims that the executive played a role in Egbetamah’s removal.
According to him, the Delta State House of Assembly is an independent arm of government with its own leadership and spokespersons, making Government House’s intervention unnecessary.
“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 argued that the administration’s defence of the Assembly’s action answered questions that had lingered among Udu residents since Egbetamah was removed 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 statement further alleged that Egbetamah had faced sustained political victimisation 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,” it claimed.
Questioning the legality of the lawmaker’s removal, Omo-Agege’s camp insisted that Egbetamah was denied the constitutional right to fair hearing as provided 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.
Rejecting allegations that Omo-Agege’s video contained falsehoods, Anaughe challenged the governor to point out any factual inaccuracies.
“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 criticised Governor Oborevwori’s administration, arguing that infrastructure projects highlighted by the government could not justify what it described as constitutional violations.
It further claimed that Delta State had received over ₦3 trillion in federal allocations during the governor’s tenure and demanded greater transparency over the expenditure of the 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.”
Responding to suggestions that Omo-Agege’s stance could affect his chances in the 2027 elections, the statement insisted that constitutional principles outweighed political 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.”
The former Deputy Senate President also made it clear that he would neither take down the disputed 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.”
The statement concluded by expressing confidence that the courts would ultimately determine the 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.”
