By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The political crisis over Hon. Collins Egbetamah’s removal from the Delta State House of Assembly has escalated into a major confrontation between former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. Omo-Agege has accused the Governor of orchestrating the unconstitutional removal of the Udu State Constituency lawmaker.
The crisis began on June 30, 2026, when the Delta State House of Assembly, presided over by Speaker Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, declared Egbetamah’s seat vacant following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The motion was moved by the Leader of the House, Hon. Emeka Nwaobi, and unanimously adopted during plenary.
The controversy intensified when Governor Oborevwori, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Ossai Ovie Success, demanded that Senator Omo-Agege remove a video posted on his Facebook account condemning the removal, apologise to the House of Assembly, and embrace what the Governor called “issue-based politics” .
However, in a strongly worded response signed by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Hon. Godwin Anaughe, Omo-Agege’s camp rejected the Governor’s demands and turned his intervention against him .
“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 read .
The statement argued that the Governor’s decision to publicly defend the removal confirmed that the House did not act independently but rather executed a political directive from Government House in Asaba. “With that statement, the administration has placed its fingerprints permanently on this unconstitutional act,” it declared.
At the heart of the dispute is the interpretation of Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a member shall vacate his seat if, having been elected on the platform of one political party, he becomes a member of another party before expiration of his tenure, except as expressly provided by the Constitution .
While the Assembly defended its decision as a faithful implementation of the Constitution , Omo-Agege argued that the provision does not apply without exception. “The House relies on Section 109(1)(g) as if it admits of no exception. The Constitution provides an exception where a defection arises from a division in the original party. That question of fact was never examined in any legislative hearing. There was also no judicial determination,” he stated .
Omo-Agege further insisted that Section 36 of the Constitution, which guarantees every Nigerian the right to fair hearing before any adverse action, must be read alongside Section 109. “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,” the statement said .
Allegations of Political Persecution
Omo-Agege’s camp also alleged that Egbetamah had been subjected to sustained political persecution long before his removal. “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 alleged .
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has also condemned the Assembly’s action, accusing it of applying double standards. The party noted that politicians who previously defected from the PDP to the APC retained their seats without similar sanctions .
Governor’s Development Record Challenged
In a further twist, Omo-Agege’s camp challenged Governor Oborevwori’s development record, arguing that infrastructure projects cited by the administration did not excuse alleged constitutional violations. The statement claimed that Delta State had received more than ₦3 trillion in federal allocations during the Governor’s tenure and called for greater accountability .
“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,” the statement said .
Defiant Stand and Court Resolution
Rejecting the Governor’s three demands, Omo-Agege declared that he would neither withdraw the controversial video nor apologize to the House of Assembly. On suggestions that his stance could affect his political fortunes ahead of the 2027 elections, the statement was dismissive.
“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,” it said .
The statement concluded with a defiant declaration that the matter would be resolved in court. “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. Udu is not a conquered territory. Its mandate is sacred. And Senator Ovie Omo-Agege will not be bullied into abandoning its people,” the statement said .
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