The Nigeria Democratic Congress has condemned the Delta State House of Assembly over the declaration of the seat of Hon. Collins Egbetamah, member representing Udu Constituency, as vacant, describing the action as unconstitutional, vindictive and politically motivated.
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In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Osa Director, alleged that Egbetamah was being politically persecuted following his resignation from the All Progressives Congress and defection to the NDC on April 30, 2026.
The controversy followed the decision of the Delta State House of Assembly to declare the Udu Constituency seat vacant after Egbetamah left the APC for the NDC.
The Assembly was said to have relied on constitutional provisions regulating defection by elected lawmakers, but the NDC rejected the decision, insisting that the action amounted to selective justice and a violation of the lawmaker’s constitutional right to freedom of association.
According to the party, Egbetamah was originally elected into the House on the platform of the APC and served as a minority member until the political configuration of the Assembly changed after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and several lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
The NDC alleged that after the mass movement into the APC, Egbetamah refused to align with the new political direction in the House and was thereafter subjected to acts of political isolation.
The party claimed that the lawmaker was denied salaries, allowances and other entitlements after he left the APC and joined the NDC.
It said the declaration of his seat vacant was the latest step in what it described as a coordinated attempt to punish him for exercising his political rights.
The NDC argued that the Assembly could not selectively apply constitutional provisions against Egbetamah while ignoring the wider political defections that had altered the balance of power in the state legislature.
It maintained that the lawmaker’s defection must be viewed within the political realities in Delta State, especially the change in party alignment after the governor and other lawmakers moved from the PDP to the APC.
The party further accused the Assembly of using its legislative powers to settle political scores, warning that such conduct could undermine democracy and the independence of elected representatives.
It called on the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognise the declaration of vacancy or take steps that would validate what it described as an unconstitutional act.
The NDC also threatened legal action to challenge the Assembly’s decision and protect Egbetamah’s mandate.
The party insisted that the people of Udu Constituency elected Egbetamah to represent them and that their mandate should not be nullified through what it called a politically motivated process.
It urged democratic institutions, civil society organisations and Nigerians to condemn the development, saying the case raises serious concerns about political tolerance, legislative independence and the right of elected officials to associate freely within the limits of the Constitution.
The dispute has added to the growing political tension in Delta State following the realignment of political forces in the state and the defection of key public office holders across party lines.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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