● Party Urges INEC to disregard declaration of Udu seat vacant_
The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has condemned what it described as “politics of vindictiveness and selective justice” by the Delta State House of Assembly following the defection of Hon. Collins Egbetanah, member representing Udu Constituency, to the NDC.
- In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director Esq, the NDC said the Assembly’s decision to declare Egbetanah’s seat vacant was unconstitutional, politically motivated, and a violation of his right to freedom of association.
Egbetanah was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and served as a minority member of the House. According to the NDC, the political equation changed after the Delta State Governor and several PDP lawmakers defected to the APC.
The party alleged that the new APC members, who joined as loyalists of the governor, began to see Egbetanah as a threat because he was an “original APC member” and because of his loyalty to former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Age.
“As a result, for several months the Delta State House of Assembly, acting on the directive of the Delta State Government, deprived Hon. Egbetanah of his salaries and entitlements,” the statement said.
Tensions escalated on April 30, 2026, when Egbetanah resigned from the APC and joined the NDC. The NDC said the move was met with “vindictiveness, political callousness and indignity” by both the Assembly and the state government.
In what the party called a “politically unprecedented move,” the House subsequently declared the Udu seat vacant and labelled Egbetanah persona non grata.
“We at the NDC view this action as politically abominable and reprehensible,” the statement said. “The manner in which his seat was declared vacant is unconstitutional and violates Egbetanah’s right to free assembly and association.”
The NDC has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disregard the Assembly’s action, which it described as “illegality and political gangsterism.”
The party said it is taking every legal step to resolve the matter, and urged the Delta State House of Assembly to allow Egbetanah to perform the constitutional duties for which he was elected by the people of Udu.
“The NDC as a party is committed to the people of Udu Constituency receiving the benefits and dividends of democracy through effective representation by Hon Egbetanah,” the statement added. “Our commitment to service to the people cannot be abridged by any form of legislative rascality.”
The controversy adds a new layer to the shifting political alignments in Delta State following the mass defection of PDP lawmakers and the governor to the APC earlier this year.
