Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy President of the 9th Senate, has condemned the Delta State House of Assembly over the removal of Hon. Collins Egbetamah as the member representing Udu State Constituency, describing the action as unconstitutional, arbitrary and politically motivated.
In a statement personally signed on Wednesday, Omo-Agege accused the Assembly of denying the lawmaker a fair hearing before declaring his seat vacant, insisting that the decision violated the provisions of the Constitution.
According to the former Deputy Senate President, the Assembly’s action was “hasty, arbitrary, oppressive and illegal,” adding that it was aimed at achieving a political objective rather than upholding constitutional principles.
“This was not constitutional housekeeping. It was a hasty, arbitrary, oppressive, and illegal act intended to achieve a political objective that disparages and injures the people of Udu, the wider Urhobo nation, and Delta State,” he said.
Omo-Agege challenged the Assembly’s reliance on Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the provision is not absolute because it recognizes exceptions where a lawmaker defects due to divisions within the political party on whose platform he was elected.
He maintained that no legislative hearing was conducted to determine whether such an exception applied in Egbetamah’s case, nor was there any judicial pronouncement before the Assembly acted.
“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.
The former Delta Central senator argued that the mandate given to an elected representative could not be terminated without observing due process.
“A mandate freely given by the people of Udu cannot be extinguished in a single sitting by voice vote. That is disturbing, disrespectful, and unacceptable. It was not the intendment of the framers of our Constitution. We are not a Banana Republic,” he said.
He further argued that Egbetamah was constitutionally entitled to a fair hearing before any declaration affecting his seat could be made.
“Hon. Egbetamah is entitled to be heard before his seat could be declared vacant. He was denied that right, and that is a fundamental breach of our constitutional order. Where due process is bypassed, tyranny and injustice prevail,” Omo-Agege added.
Drawing from his personal experience, the former Deputy Senate President recalled that a similar attempt was once made to remove him from the Senate but was overturned by the courts.
He also alleged that the timing and manner of Egbetamah’s removal suggested that the action was politically motivated and intended to discourage defections from the ruling party.
According to him, the people of Udu Local Government Area have now been left without representation because of what he described as the persecution of Egbetamah for his political affiliation.
Omo-Agege called on the Delta State House of Assembly to reverse its decision and restore the lawmaker’s mandate, while urging the judiciary to act swiftly if the matter is taken to court.
“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.
The statement was made available to journalists by Omo-Agege’s Media Adviser, Sunny Areh.
